The Shadow Fox (T)
by KatherineAliceBeckettCullen
Summary: Beckett and the team are challenged when a case resembling Rathborne's murders enters their life. Will the 12th figure out who the killer is before it's too late? Or will one of their own be taken from them? Rated T for some violence and minor Caskett. Now complete. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This story takes place 2 years after season 3 ends. Beckett has solved her mother's case, Beckett and Castle are together, Alexis is at Stanford, Ryan and Jenny are married and Esposito and Lanie are engaged. This story is being re-released with the T rating. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

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Chapter 1

Beckett looked up as a drop of water landed on her cheek. _Great, it really was going to rain_. At least the murder was indoors. Looking back down at the entrance of the building, she saw that her two favorite detectives were waiting under the awning.

"Hey guys," said Beckett as she reached them.

Ryan glanced up from his notebook, "Hey, Beckett."

"Have the uni's finished up out here? It looks like it's going to rain soon." Beckett glanced skyward again, "I don't want to lose any evidence to the weather."

"Yeah, they should be done. Found a footprint under that window that might be from the perp," Esposito pointed to a low window, probably belonging to a basement unit. "The grate and window were jimmied open, and it looks like they might have found a partial."

Beckett glanced to where the CSU's were working, "Anything else?"

"Looks like there was a camera over at that intersection," Ryan said, gesturing to it. "I'm going to check and see if it picked up anything helpful."

"Great. Castle here yet?" Beckett knew that Castle had been writing his latest book when she left the loft that morning.

"Yup, I called him after I got the scoop from Lanie. He arrived a few minutes ago and just went up to see what she found," Esposito glanced at his notes, "basement unit, number 6."

"Thanks guys," Beckett called over her shoulder as she turned to go inside.

Beckett went down the stairs to the basement. The paint on the walls was peeling, but there was a patch that looked like it had been hammered badly, maybe during a struggle. Looking at that section closely, Beckett saw that there was a little blood on the wall about head high. A couple blond hairs were caught in a crack between some of the peeling paint.

She turned to a CSU down the hall, "Hey, have you seen this?"

The woman looked up from examining the door knob, "No, did you find something?"

"It looks like there was a scuffle here; see all the paint on the floor?" Beckett gestured to the paint peels on the ground, then back at the wall and added, "And right here is a little blood and some hair."

"I'll bag it. Thanks." The CSU took a couple evidence bags and tweezers from her kit.

"Get a couple pictures too, before you bag the samples." Beckett wanted to put the pictures on the murder board. Hopefully it would help paint the picture of what happened here.

"Sure, detective." She bent down and grabbed her camera too.

"Thanks." Beckett ducked under the tape into the apartment on the end.

The victim was on the floor in the kitchen. His hair was blond, meaning the hairs and blood in the hall were probably his, unfortunately. He had been stabbed repeatedly and there was blood everywhere. Lanie was bending over him, her back to the door, and examining something low on the back of his torso. Castle was watching her work. Beckett noted that something about his expression reminded her of someone being visited by a ghost.

Beckett strode over to the kitchen and joined them. "Hey Lanie, what have you got?"

The ME consulted her notes. "White male in his 30's, preliminary COD is stabbing with a sharp object." Beckett looked at the set of knives on the counter; Lanie saw the look, "I already looked at the knives here and none of them could have made these wounds. I'm going to guess, based on the shape of the wound and the slight tearing on one side, that it was probably a dual edged blade with a serrated section toward the top, probably a hunting knife."

Beckett bent down to examine the wounds. _Something about these wounds seem familiar_…"Any ID?"

"Not on him, but it looks like his wallet got thrown under the entertainment center over there." Lanie nodded in the direction of the system.

Beckett turned to Castle. _What was he thinking?_ "You okay Castle?" Castle only nodded.

Lanie stood up and faced her friend. "Kate, honey, I need you to stay calm." _That was never accompanied by good news._ "There are some stab wounds on his lower back that look similar to the ones Coonan used. Now, I won't be sure until I get him back to autopsy, but it looks like either Coonan trained someone before he died, or this is a very good copycat. I just wanted to let you know now so you don't chew me out later."

Beckett felt like the world had tilted off its axis. _No, not again_. Castle was watching her with a worried look on his face, and she knew that she must have just gone pale. Quickly, she forced her brain to think about more than just her dread. Lanie was talking, but Beckett couldn't seem to hear her.

Beckett forced her brain to return to the conversation. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I was asking if you were okay," Lanie repeated, "you kind of went pale and rigid. I was starting to worry."

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." Beckett cleared her throat and shook her head to clear it. "Do you have a time of death yet?"

"Judging from the state of decomp. I'm guessing between 1 and 4 am yesterday. I'll know more when I get him back to the morgue." Lanie dropped her professionalism "If you need something, call me, even if you just want to talk. Okay?"

Beckett nodded, "Thanks Lanie."

"Sure, honey." Lanie patted her arm and then went back to examining the body.

Castle came over to her and placed a soft hand against her cheek while pulling her close with the other. He tilted her head back so he could look at her eyes.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Beckett knew that this was a lie, but she didn't want to talk, at least not here.

Castle knew she wasn't being completely honest. "You sure?"

"Castle, we're at work. We'll talk about it later." Beckett hoped he would get the message.

He did. "Okay. We'll talk when we get home."

Castle gave her a quick kiss on the lips before letting her go and looking around the kitchen better. Beckett also looked around the apartment to distract herself from the news Lanie dumped on her. It was well furnished, despite being one of the basement units. Pictures along the wall suggested that he lived alone, but one on the coffee table suggested he was dating an attractive, brunette woman. Something about her looked familiar, but Beckett couldn't place what. Turning from the picture, Beckett saw the entertainment system. It wasn't top of the line, but it was good. Beckett crossed the living room and bent down to fetch the wallet from under the unit.

"ID says the vic is Brian Watson, 32. He lives at this address. Cash and credit cards are gone though." _Poor cover-up job by the killer._

Castle saw it too. "Robbery wasn't the motive."

"How do you figure?" Lanie had wandered over, probably to keep tabs on her friend.

"If it was a robbery, the thief would have tossed this place or at least taken some of the electronics." Beckett looked around the room. "Did he have a cell phone?"

"CSU already bagged it. It was punctured by the knife. Maybe there'll be some trace on it." Lanie picked up the evidence bag it was in.

"So the perp wouldn't have taken it anyway, it was ruined." Beckett took a quick look. "Okay, thanks Lanie."

Lanie returned the phone to the box of evidence and went back to the kitchen. Beckett and Castle left the apartment and found Ryan and Esposito heading their way.

"You already done?" Esposito said, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah, Lanie and the CSU's are finishing up. You find anything else?"

"Only that the cameras at the intersection were not working. It looks like the box the cameras are hooked to was tampered with. CSU's didn't find any usable prints. So we don't have a visual of what happened." Ryan was also disappointed. No video evidence meant the killer was careful. "We canvassed the neighbors, no one heard a thing. Most weren't home that day."

"Okay, find out what Mr. Watson does for a living." Beckett handed the wallet to Esposito. "I'm going back to the office to find out who the girl in the photo is."

"Sure, boss." Esposito took the wallet and headed into the apartment, and to his fiancé.

Beckett went outside. The rain was falling heavily, and Beckett just wanted to stand under the building's awning and watch it fall. Castle stood next to her and left her to her thoughts for a moment. When the coroner's van arrived, her gently touched the small of her back and guided her out of the way.

Castle pulled her close again. "You ready to go yet?"

Beckett sighed, "Yeah, let's go."

Castle sensed that she was reluctant to go back to work right away. "Want to grab something to eat before we get back to the precinct?"

"Sure." Beckett turned to the car, then back to Castle. "Hey, Rick. Thanks for understanding."

"Always," He whispered the one word that always melted her heart, and then he continued. "I'm going to guess this feels like when Jack Coonan was killed."

"Yeah, like a sucker punch to the stomach. Almost like Rathborne's back from the grave." Beckett shuddered at the thought. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

As Beckett ran through the rain to her car, she couldn't help but hope that this could be just a nightmare she would wake up from at any moment. But even as she thought that, she knew it wasn't true.

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**A/N: **In the intro I mention that Alexis is attending Stanford. When I started writing this, that was where she was planning on going at that point in the show. I know she ended up going to Columbia University, but I'm not going back to rework her school choice for this. Thanks for understanding.

I'll be releasing at least one new chapter every week, maybe even two chapters. Please read and review. I want to know what you guys think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: This story takes place 2 years after season 3 ends. Beckett has solved her mother's case, Beckett and Castle are together, Alexis is at Stanford, Ryan and Jenny are married and Esposito and Lanie are engaged. This story is being re-released with the T rating. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

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Chapter 2

Rain continued to pour as Beckett and Castle entered the café near the precinct. After they ordered, Beckett stared out the window at the rain and thought back to the day Dr. Clark Murray, Castle's "Dr. Death", told her that the wounds in Jack Coonan's body were made by the same knife that had killed her mother. That day, it felt like her world had turned upside-down; today was almost the same. Thoughts swirled in her head in a repeating loop. _Had Coonan really trained someone? Who would he trust enough risk it? Was it someone he had served with? Maybe this was the person who trained Rathborne._ Castle cleared his throat when he saw their orders coming, but Beckett didn't hear him. She was startled when her plate was put in front of her, but recovered quickly.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at the waitress.

Castle started to eat his burger almost as soon as his plate was on the table, but Beckett just picked at her chicken breast and vegetables.

Finally, Castle couldn't take the silence any longer. "Penny for your thoughts."

Beckett responded as if in a daze, "Huh?"

Castle chuckled quietly and continued. "You've been staring out the window for a while. I was wondering what you were thinking about."

"Oh, um..." She seemed to be struggling with her thoughts.

Castle decided she needed a prompt. "Yes?"

Finally, Beckett figured out how to phrase her answer. "Just thinking about the last time I got this kind of news. Trying to compare how it felt. Trying not to think of going down the rabbit hole again."

"What did you come up with?" Castle thought he knew, but wanted her to answer.

"It's not as bad as last time, and yet it's ten times worse. I don't know; it doesn't make sense." Beckett was having a hard time choosing the right words for her thoughts.

Castle didn't need her to explain any more, he knew what she meant. "Yes it does. It's better in that you are not looking for the same person who killed your mother, but it's worse because we don't know exactly what, or who, to look for."

_This is why they were perfect together._ "Exactly."

Castle thought that maybe building theory would help Kate clear up her thoughts. "Well, what do we have to go on so far?"

"Not much." Beckett welcomed the distraction from her scattered mind. "Lanie's autopsy should help in filling in some holes. CSU's will give us a better look at what happened at the scene. We need to track down the girlfriend."

Beckett's cell phone started to ring. She glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Lanie. Yeah. Okay, we'll be there in a half hour." She hung up and looked up at Castle. "Lanie's ready for us."

"Okay, let's get you a box, you've barely touched your food." He glanced at her when she didn't respond. "Unless you don't want it?"

Beckett shook her head. "No, that's fine. I'll eat it later."

Castle hailed the waitress over, asked for the boxes and paid for the food. Beckett sat in the booth and considered making a call to her father, but then realized that this wasn't the right time. She didn't even know if the killer was like Rathborne. She gathered up her things and headed to the car, Castle two steps behind her. Running through the rain, she thought she saw someone watching her, but when she looked again, there was no one there. Kicking herself for being paranoid, she climbed into the car and pulled away from the curb.

Lanie was just finishing up her paperwork when Becket and Castle strode into the morgue. The first thing she noticed was that Beckett's mind didn't seem to be on Earth, let alone in the morgue. _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to warn her earlier. I hope my girl can handle this._

She decided to bring Kate's focus back to her job. "Before we begin, I would like to ask Detective Kate Beckett to join us in the morgue."

It worked. "Okay, Lanie what have you got?"

Lanie turned the vic's body so that Beckett and Castle could get a clear view. "Just as I thought, our victim was stabbed with a low angle thrust to the kidney which is also the COD. The knife on that blow was twisted. Mr. Watson would have gone into shock immediately." She gestured to the remaining wounds on his torso. "These other six stab wounds were done to try and cover up the real COD, just like Rathborne, and were delivered after the vic was on the ground."

Beckett was all business now. "So Rathborne did train someone else. What else can you tell us?"

"The thrust angle indicates that the killer was between 5'5" and 5'8"." Lanie consulted her notes. "Now the interesting thing is that the wounds in this victim don't penetrate as deep as the wounds in Rathborne's, but there was still a slight amount of bruising around the kill blow."

Beckett was confused. "So?"

"So, I'm saying that the killer didn't use the same amount of force as Rathborne. Which means that the killer may not be a man; it could be a woman." Lanie didn't have to wait long for Beckett to grasp the fact that the suspect pool had just grown.

Castle however was surprised. "A woman? How could a woman do all this?"

Beckett decided to play with him. "What, Castle, you've followed me around for how long and you don't think women are capable of doing something like this?"

"It's not a question of strength…"

"Castle, believe it or not, many of the best hit men are thought to be women." She turned back to Lanie. "Did you identify the knife that was used?"

"Yes, I did a wound tract mold and the knife appears to be an Mtech Military Tactical Survival Knife, also known as a Wingwalk." Lanie held up the impression she got from a wound tract. "They're popular with ex-military and survival experts."

"Was the knife sharpened?" Beckett wondered if the killer was anything like Rathborne. "Any fragments from the knife in the wound?"

Lanie consulted the chart. "There were no fragments in the wounds, though a couple of ribs were hit. And the knife wasn't sharpened, at least not much more than general upkeep."

Beckett started to sum up what they had learned. "So the killer is possibly ex-military…"

Castle interrupted, "Rathborne was special forces."

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "…between 5'5" and 5'8" and could be either a man or a woman. They use the same M.O. as Rathborne, but they don't hone the knife the way he did. Did CSU find anything on the cell phone?"

"There were some prints, but they belonged to the victim. I sent it up to Tech to see if they could pull anything from the sim card." Lanie picked up the victim's file. "Here's the file; the photos of the stab wounds and the mold are in there."

Beckett took the file and glanced through it. "Thanks Lanie." She and Castle turned to leave.

Lanie had a sudden thought. "Hey Kate, could I talk to you really quick? Not about the case, just a quick talk."

Castle took the file from Beckett. "I'll get the board set up."

Castle left and Lanie pulled Beckett from the morgue into her office. "How are you doing with all this?"

Beckett's immediate response was to go on the defensive. "I thought this wasn't about the case."

Lanie took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "It's not, not directly anyway. It's just, I saw you when I brought up Rathborne this morning. I thought I was going to need a stretcher for you too. What's going on?"

"I just," Beckett took a deep breath. "I thought I was over it all. My mother's case, the search for Lockwood, Montgomery's murder, arresting the son-of-a-bitch that started the whole thing. I thought I was finally moving on. And now this. Is it ever going to end?"

Lanie saw the pain her friend's eyes. "Kate, honey, you don't have to go through it all alone; we're all here for you. Look at Castle; he would do anything for you. It took you getting shot for you both to realize what you had. As for when this will end, I can't answer that, but I know you will find the answers. Come here."

Lanie pulled Beckett into an embrace. She tried to put all the love and support she could into the hug so that Kate would know just how much she cared. Beckett needed this and was grateful that she had a friend, a whole team of friends, who were willing to do whatever it took to help her. Then she heard a low cough behind here.

"Something you girls need to tell me, chica's?" Trust Esposito to ruin the moment.

Lanie wasn't amused. "Ha, ha. Javier, do you have any sense of tact? At all?"

Esposito ignored Lanie's comment. "Hey, Beckett, I found out that Brian Watson was a low level accountant at a law firm. It's Bretz and Coven, LLP on Broadway. And the girl in the photo works there too, Jessica Gardner. She was his supervisor. They broke up last week. Apparently it was ugly."

Beckett nodded, glad for the distraction. "Let's bring her in."

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**A/N: I hope you like it. I know that Beckett is going through some tough emotions right now, but I promise that won't last too much longer. **

**I'd like to thank phnxgrl for her review. Thanks for getting the reviews started ;). For everyone else, please review! I would like to know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: This chapter is longer than the last couple, but hopefully you like it. It's mostly an interrogation scene, so lots of dialogue. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

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Chapter 3

Beckett stood in the Observation Room and looked through the glass at the woman sitting there. The woman glanced around the room while she waited, seemingly very interested in the glass. If Beckett didn't know better, she would say that the woman was looking right at her. Beckett still couldn't shake the feeling that had started in Watson's apartment; she had seen this woman before. Beckett turned away from the window as the door to the Observation Room opened.

Ryan walked in and handed Beckett a folder. "I ran that background check you asked for. Jessica Gardner is clean, but her identity is only six months old. She isn't who she says she is."

Beckett was intrigued. "Okay, I'm going to ask her about that. If she gives us another name, run it."

"Got it." Ryan went to the computer and logged in. "Ready when you are."

Beckett left the observation room and almost ran into Castle as he brought her a coffee.

"No time for that Castle, the girlfriend is here." Beckett was impatient to figure out why "Jessica" was using a false identity.

Castle turned as Detective Karpowski walked by. "Hey, Karpowski."

Karpowski stopped. "Yeah?"

Castle held up the espresso. "Want a coffee?"

Karpowski looked confused. "Sure." She took the cup. "Thanks?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Come on, Castle."

With that, Beckett walked into the Interrogation Room. "Jessica" sat up and looked at the detective with complete calm. _Let's see how long that lasts._ Beckett sat down and just looked at the woman for a few moments. She seemed innocent, but then, so had Coonan the first time she talked to him. When she could see that "Jessica" was getting a little uneasy, she opened the folder Ryan handed her and glanced at the information.

Jessica finally cracked. "I'm sorry, I don't understand why I'm here."

Beckett looked up from the folder. "We wanted to ask you a few questions."

Jessica looked confused. "About what?"

Beckett stayed relaxed. "About Brian Watson. How did you know him?"

Jessica was still confused. "We worked together at Bretz and Coven. We were also dating."

Beckett decided to keep things light, at least for now. "How long were the two of you dating?"

Jessica answered quickly. "Four months. Why? Is he in trouble?"

Beckett ignored her question. "Why did he break it off?"

Jessica couldn't figure out what was going on. "He didn't. I did. He was moving things along faster than I wanted them to, so I told him it was time for us to break up."

Castle decided to needle her a little. "That's not what your co-workers said."

Jessica became defensive. "All they heard was the fight we had because I ended it. Brian didn't want to move on; he wanted us to move in together."

Beckett could see it was time to catch her off guard. "Is that why you killed him?"

"Wait, he's dead? When, how..." Jessica sputtered, then became shocked, "you think I did it? What makes you think that I had anything to do with it? I would never hurt him!"

Castle decided to give his theory. "I think that he found out that you weren't who you said you were, and so you had to silence him."

Jessica grew wary. "What are you talking about?"

Beckett took the offensive. "Jessica Gardner doesn't exist. Credit history only goes back six months; it's the same with your background check. So who are you?"

Jessica went pale. "Can you promise you won't tell my boss?"

Beckett wasn't going to make any promises. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't?"

Jessica decided to take the plunge. "Fine, my name is Alexandra Stevens. I work for a national investigation company that specializes in finding financial fraud. The top partner of Bretz and Coven discovered that there may be an embezzlement scam, so I was hired to find out which employees were involved. The real reason I broke up with Brian was that the relationship was a lie, but he thought it was real, so I ended it to minimize the damage. The fight was just for show. I knew that there were rumors that I wasn't who I said I was, so I wanted to give them something else to gossip about instead."

Beckett was surprised, but she hid it well. "Why were you dating him in the first place?"

Alexandra sighed. "When I first got to the company, it was easy to see that he was involved with the scam somehow. Dating him got me access to the how. Plus, I had to find an excuse to be in his office a lot. I'm an accounts supervisor, so I had access to records Brian didn't, but the records that I was getting from him looked doctored. I was using my access to him to look at original documents. He was only entry level in the scam though. I'm working on finding out who he was working with."

Castle asked the obvious question. "Did you?"

"Yes, but it goes higher than I've had time to figure out. Or access to, for that matter." Alexandra became hesitant. "I have a suspicion that one of the Junior Partners is involved somehow."

Castle jumped in again. "When was the last time you saw Brian?"

Alexandra thought back, "That would be when we were leaving work last night. We were in the elevator together. He was trying very hard not to look at me, like I didn't even exist. Is he really dead?"

Beckett thought it was time to see if she had an alibi. "Where were you last night between 1am and 4am?"

Alexandra knew the answer wouldn't clear her. "Home, alone, asleep."

"Can anyone confirm that?" Beckett hoped that there would be a way to confirm Alexandra's story.

Alexandra shrugged. "Maybe my neighbors. I know I said hello to Mrs. Grovener when I passed her in the hall."

"I'll be checking that out." Beckett decided to change tactics. "Do you know of anyone by the name of Richard Coonan? He would be about 45."

Alexandra blinked in confusion. "No, I don't think so."

Beckett tried again, "He may have gone by Dick Coonan."

Alexandra thought about it, but shook her head. "I know a Dick Walters, but he's an eighty year old man that just restructured his will with us."

"How about the name Rathborne?" Beckett was hoping that one of the names would be recognized.

Alexandra was still confused. "No, I've never heard that name. Why? Do you think these men are connected with Brian?"

Castle ignored her question. "The Junior Partner you're investigating. Is he capable of murder?"

"Not directly, no," Alexandra paused, "but I wouldn't put it past him to hire someone to do his dirty work. He doesn't exactly have a clean reputation. What happened to Brian?"

Beckett pulled the crime scene photo out of the file and set it on the table. "He was stabbed to death in his apartment."

Beckett felt bad about being so blunt, but she wanted to see Alexandra's reaction. Alexandra gasped and looked shocked. She quickly turned the photo over and took a deep breath to steady herself. Beckett was distracted by a knock on the window. She gathered up the file and left the room, Castle close behind her. Ryan was waiting for them in the observation room.

"Alexandra Stevens checks out. Her current employer is Hardy and Drew Investigations. They specialize in credit checks, financial fraud, and investigating art theft and forgeries." Ryan held up a printout. "Stevens is one of their best. She transferred here from Chicago a couple months after she was assaulted by one of the employees she was investigating. Apparently she has been using false identities while on the job ever since."

Beckett looked at the paper. "What else did you get?"

Ryan hesitated before continuing. "Stevens is her adopted name. She was orphaned at eleven when her father was killed in '99. Her name was Alexandra Murray."

Beckett realized why she recognized her face. "Was her father Scott Murray?" Ryan nodded.

Castle recognized the connection. "Her father was killed by Rathborne."

Ryan held up another printout. "Yeah, after that, she was shuffled into the system and adopted by a Michael Stevens. They moved to California soon after. Then when she was 16, they moved to Chicago. Not too long after she graduated from college, Hardy and Drew hired her."

Beckett looked over the second printout. "Where is her adopted father now?"

Esposito walked in and answered Beckett. "Dead. He died in a car accident just before she graduated." He handed her a copy of the death certificate. "It was a nasty accident too. Apparently they had to identify him using dental records."

Castle turned to look at Alexandra. "She probably never learned that her real father's killer was found."

Beckett wasn't so sympathetic. "Just because she had a tragic past doesn't mean she's innocent. Though I doubt she did it." She turned to Esposito. "CSU's finished with her apartment yet?"

Esposito handed Beckett the report. "Yeah, nothing there that indicates she was the killer. No Wingwalk or other survival type knives. There were traces of blood in the sink, but it was animal. Trace is analyzing it. They also canvassed the neighbors. Many of them remember her coming home and not leaving again until this morning."

Beckett nodded. Things were getting strange. Alexandra's father was killed by Rathborne, and now her ex was killed the same way. _Maybe it was time to figure out just what she knew; if she knew anything_. Beckett returned to the Interrogation Room with Castle. Alexandra seemed to have regained her composure.

Beckett began talking as she sat down. "It appears that Alexandra Stevens checks out. Although, that isn't your original last name, it is?"

"You found out I was adopted." Alexandra's voice was careful, tinged with pain, as though this wasn't the first time her past had come up. "I guess you know that my father was killed when I was eleven. And that my mom left us when I was a toddler. Maybe you've also learned that my adoptive father was killed in an accident just outside Chicago; an accident so bad, they had to use dental records to confirm that it was him. You know, I still don't know if the man who killed my real father was ever caught? So yeah, my life wasn't easy. That doesn't make me a killer."

Beckett let her vent, then continued the interview. "You work for Hardy and Drew Investigations, is that correct?"

Alexandra's voice was steady now. "Yes."

"Do you always use false identities?"

"No, I haven't always. I used to just use my real name, you know, keep the lies simple, they're easier to believe. Unfortunately, in Chicago, one of the employees I was investigating caught onto the act. He realized that I was there to investigate the company's financial activities." Alexandra pulled the sleeve of her shirt up to her elbow and then presented Beckett and Castle with her forearm. A long scar ran from her wrist to her elbow. "He attacked me in a drunken rage. Left this on my arm. When he sobered up, he realized what he did and knew that it was only a matter of time before the cops found him and arrested him for it."

Castle's curiosity was peaked, he loved a good story. "What happened?"

Alexandra shrugged. "He killed himself." She pulled her sleeve back down. "Since then, my company has helped me set up false ID's to protect my identity and safety. Usually they 'kill' the ID when I move from one company to another. Jessica Gardner was created for this job. I had never used it before now." She tried again. "Look, I'm not done with my investigation; could you please not tell my boss the truth?"

"How are you going to explain being dragged into the precinct?"

Alexandra shrugged. "Easy, just say you wanted to question me about Brian's habits, changes in behavior, that sort of thing. I was dating him, so no one will think anything of it."

Beckett was satisfied, but reluctant to make a promise to a suspect. "Fine. But, there I have a condition. As long as you cooperate and give us all the files you have on Brian and the company, we won't reveal your real employer and what you're really doing."

Alexandra nodded. "Okay, but there is one problem with that."

"What is that?"

"I've created my own language that I use while on the job. Only I ever know what my notes really say." Alexandra decided to simplify. "I'm going to have to translate it for you."

Beckett wasn't fazed. "I'm sure our financial guys can figure it out."

Alexandra smirked. "Do you have a piece of paper?" Beckett handed Alexandra a sheet. After a few moments writing, she handed it back to Beckett. "Give this to them and see what they say."

Beckett looked at the paper. It made no sense whatsoever. It looked like shorthand, but she had never seen shorthand like this.

Alexandra chuckled. "That's how all my notes look, so unless your guys are fluent in this, they won't understand my notes at all."

Beckett relented. "Fine, bring them in after you get off work tonight." Beckett started to put her file back together. "You're free to go. But don't leave town."

Beckett got up and strode out of the room. She went into the break room and started up the espresso machine. Castle gently took the cup from her hands and offered to get that for her. Beckett relented and sat down at the table, staring at the girl's shorthand.

Castle tried to help lift her spirits. "You know, I once tried to do something like that when I was just starting out. I always forgot what symbol stood for which words. She's very smart. And she has a good heart."

Beckett had to bite. "What makes you say that?"

Castle continued. "The tragedies in her life. Mom leaves her, dad is murdered, loving adoptive father dies in an accident, and yet, she still finds a way to rise above all that. Not unlike you, you know."

Beckett smiled. "Yeah, she does seem like she's trying to make the most out of life."

Castle handed Beckett her coffee. "Do you think she did it?"

Beckett hesitated, thought about it and then dismissed it. "No, the evidence doesn't point to her. And she has an alibi. It's soft, but I think it's solid."

Beckett saw Alexandra being escorted out of the interrogation room. _Perhaps a little closure would be good for her_.

"Alexandra," Beckett called to get her attention. Alexandra turned. "I just wanted to let you know that the man who killed your father, he was finally caught; as was the man that hired him. It took fifteen years, but your father's case is finally closed."

Tears came to Alexandra's eyes, though she tried to maintain her composure. "Thank you, Detective. It's nice to know that he was finally caught." She took a deep breath and her self-control returned. "I'll bring those files over tonight."

Beckett watched as Alexandra turned and entered the elevator. As the doors closed, Beckett felt Castle come stand behind her and give her a hug.

"One more victim gets closure."

Beckett brought a hand up to squeeze Castle's. "Yeah. Come on Castle, we have a case to solve."

* * *

**A/N: This case feels like it has a mind of its own. It just seems to write itself. Feel free to leave a review; I would love to hear your thoughts.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This chapter was harder to write. I'm becoming more impressed with the writing on the show everyday. It's still day 2 of the case but that should change soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Beckett stared at the murder board as though the solution would just pop out at her. This was turning into her mother's case already. The hair and blood at the scene belonged to the victim. The neighbors had been questioned, they couldn't remember anything odd happening, though one remembered that Brian had slipped on a puddle of water that had been on the floor a couple days before his murder, so the paint fragments, blood and hair probably came from that. Brian's co-workers had been questioned, they remembered that "Jessica" and Brian had fought the week before he was killed, but there didn't seem to be bad blood between them after the fight. Some had thought that perhaps they had gotten back together, others thought that the couple had decided to remain friends, and only a few knew that the couple were definitely over. No one seemed to know that "Jessica" was really Alexandra, and they didn't know who would want to hurt Brian. Beckett was praying for a lead, but everywhere they looked was a dead end.

Beckett glanced to where Castle was sitting. He was poring over phone records while Ryan and Esposito were combing Watson's personal financials. Beckett turned as the elevator chimed. Alexandra came in with a heavy box. It looked like she had crammed as many notes into it as possible.

Beckett turned back to the boys. "Esposito, can you give her a hand?"

He looked up. "Who?" Beckett nodded her head toward the elevator. "Got it."

Esposito got up from his desk and walked over to where Alexandra was standing. He then took the box and gestured toward the conference room. Beckett resumed staring at the murder board. Castle got up from Ryan's desk and joined Beckett. He was about to ask her if she was okay, when Alexandra walked by and saw the detail pictures.

"Oh my gosh, who could want to hurt him like that?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Beckett noticed that she was carrying a laptop bag. "Are your notes on there?"

Alexandra glanced down at the bag. "Most of them. I translated most of my notes onto here. The last couple weeks aren't translated yet, but that shouldn't take long." She glanced over Beckett's shoulder. Ryan and Esposito had started to unpack her notes when they noticed that they couldn't read any. "It looks they're confused, I should get to work translating the rest."

Alexandra hurried into the conference room and got to work setting up her laptop. Beckett returned to the murder board again, putting her hands on her desk as she leaned against it. Castle cleared his throat to speak, and Beckett interrupted him.

"Rick, don't. I know you're going to ask if I'm okay. I'm not; this feels like my mom's case all over again."

"Kate, I'm just worried about you. I don't want to lose you to the rabbit hole again." Castle put his hand over hers on the desk. "I love you."

"I know. And I'm trying not to lose myself." Beckett sighed. "Come on; let's get to work on those financials. Maybe we'll get a lead."

Beckett strode into the conference room, and Castle followed her. Alexandra was directing Ryan and Esposito on how to stack the files as she hurried to translate more of the files.

"Alexandra…"

"You can call me Alex."

"Alex, what do you have done already? I'd like to know where to begin."

Alex appeared distracted. "Right, um, well, the pile over here has been translated. The problem is, I need this computer to translate, but everything I translated is on this computer. Oh, I could email the files I finished to you. Then you can get started."

Beckett and the boys gave her their department emails, grabbed their laptops, and got to work. After a few hours of studying financials, Castle got up and went to the break room to get everyone coffee. Once they were all done, Castle put the five cups on a clipboard someone left in there. Walking carefully, he managed to get them all back to the conference room without spilling a drop. Everyone thanked him, except Alex.

Alex shook her head. "No thanks, I don't drink coffee."

Castle was stunned. "I think you are the first person I've met that doesn't. Why is that?"

Alex answered with a question of her own. "Why haven't you met someone else that doesn't drink coffee, or why don't I drink it?"

"The later."

Alex shrugged. "I hate the smell of it. But, it's fine, you guys enjoy. I'll live."

After another hour, it was obvious that the only person who could understand the notes was Alex. Ryan was just staring at the papers with a frustrated expression. Esposito was going over the some of the translated pages, Beckett was slowly getting through her files, and Castle was playing Angry Birds on his phone. Finally, Beckett looked up at the clock.

"Okay guys, let's call it a night. Alex, any chance you could have this completely translated by tomorrow night?"

Alex nodded as she typed. "Well, they've all been translated. I'm organizing them by employee now. I should have that done by tomorrow. Same time?"

Beckett nodded. "That'd be fine."

Ryan was already putting the piles of notes back into the box. Esposito grabbed his jacket and Alex's box and helped her out of the building. Ryan grabbed his jacket and keys and called his wife Jenny to let her know he was on his way. Castle had grabbed both his and Beckett's jackets and helped her to put it on as she took one last look at the board. She took a marker out of the tray at the bottom and wrote herself a note _"look at vic and company financials"_ before turning off her computer and desk light.

* * *

Dinner was leftovers. Martha was out, performing in an Off-Broadway play that was hoping to get rave reviews and transfer to the "Legitimate Stage". Alexis was away at Stanford, and by the look of things, soon to be engaged to her boyfriend, Ashley. Kate sat down at the bar to finish her chicken from lunch while Rick heated up some pasta they had made two nights before. When the microwave dinged, Rick took his plate to the bar, opened a bottle of wine, and sat down next to Kate. Now that they were home, alone, he felt it was time to ask the question he had silently been asking all day.

"Are you okay? I mean really okay, not just 'I'm-okay-at-the-moment-please-drop-the-conversation', but really okay?"

Kate pondered the question for a moment as she chewed her food. "No, I'm not. Like I said at the precinct, it feels like my mother's case all over again. At least this time I know I have you and the boys to keep me from falling into that hole again." She turned and gave a forced smile to Rick. "Look, I know you're concerned for me. I love that you are so caring and sweet and thoughtful. It took me a long time to see it, and even longer to let you in, but just know that I know it now. On the other hand, please don't hover. I still like being an independent woman, and having you hover over me like I'm made of glass is insulting. This may be a hard time for me, and I do need your support, but please don't be clingy."

Rick laughed. "I always try to fix things for the people I love, and ever since Alexis was in high school, I'm told to back off. Kate, I apologize for being clingy. I just wish there was something I could do to make this easier on you." His face lit up as he thought of something. "Oh, maybe I could talk to Dr. Frankenstein, get him to bring Coonan back to life, and we could ask him who his apprentice is!"

Kate took a sip of her wine as she rolled her eyes. "That might help speed up the investigation, but seeing as Dr. Frankenstein is a fictional character, I don't think it would work." She paused, and then became seductive. "How about you just make it up to me?"

Rick leaned in and gently kissed Kate on the lips. She responded by putting her arms around his neck and pressing herself to him. Dinner was soon forgotten as Rick pulled Kate into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

* * *

Beckett stared at the information on the murder board. The pictures of the crime scene, the shoeprint, and Lanie's autopsy results were all there. She had gotten a call from Tech earlier; the sim card took a direct hit, and as hard as they tried, they were unable to recover any useable data. Any phone numbers that were on the card were missing half of the numbers, so there was no way to tell who the numbers belonged to. To make matters worse, the trace from the knife that was in the hole in the phone came back to a standard batch of Wingwalk knives, available for purchase on any survival expert website; no foreign DNA or trace particles in the mix. The shoeprint was from a running shoe, though it was hard to determine who would have wore it, the tread pattern was heavily worn. The partial fingerprint hadn't come back from the lab yet because they were backed up. Beckett sighed and was about to go to the break room for a coffee when Castle appeared at her elbow with one.

"Thought you might need this." Castle handed Beckett the cup.

"Thanks, I was just about to go get one." She took a sip, and then gestured to the board. "This is definitely a professional hit. The stab wounds, the lack of evidence, the cameras turned off, the cover-up."

Castle interrupted. "The poor cover-up."

"Well, yeah. But I don't think they were really trying to cover it up. They just wanted to throw us off their trail a bit." Beckett took another sip of her coffee as Esposito walked up.

"There was a hit on the victim's credit cards. Uniforms just brought him in. Plus, we got a hit on the partial print." He handed Beckett a file. "Meet Gerald Miller, and he's got quite the jacket. Two time offender for assault during a home invasion, been arrested five times for petty theft, and four times for burglary. Only one conviction for burglary, but he did spend a nickel on one of the assault charges. He's on his way in too."

Beckett's interest was peaked. "Let's see what they have to say."

Half an hour later, Beckett stepped out of the Interrogation Room after questioning the man who had used the vic's credit cards. He was a homeless man who claimed to have found them while dumpster-diving for food or anything else he could use. The cards and the man's prints had been sent to the lab. Beckett was hoping that they would get prints from the killer off the cards, but considering how careful he had been at the scene, that was unlikely. Castle joined her as he left the Observation Room, and together they returned to the murder board. Beckett updated it with what little information they had.

Beckett turned to Ryan. "Hey Ryan, I need you to run an alibi check for me. Check and see if our homeless guy was at the shelter on 22nd on the night of our vic's murder."

Ryan grabbed his phone. "On it."

Castle turned to Beckett. "Do you really think he did it?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "No, but I need to rule him out. Come on Castle, you know how we work."

Esposito entered the bull pen. "Yo, Beckett. Miller just arrived. He's in I2."

"Thanks, Esposito." Beckett grabbed Miller's file. "Let's see if our burglar has added murder to his sheet."

* * *

"Gerald Miller, I'm Detective Kate Beckett, this is Rick Castle. We just wanted to ask you a few questions." Beckett wanted to make sure the Miller knew who was in charge.

Miller wasn't about to be the coward. "Hey, what's going on here? Why am I even here? I haven't done nothing wrong."

Beckett smiled. _Two could play that game_. "Really? Is that what you're going with? By the looks of your record, I don't really believe that."

Miller was going to bite yet. "Hey, listen, I went straight after my last arrest. And that's the honest truth."

Beckett leaned forward and put her arms on the table. "Then would you mind explaining how your fingerprints ended up at a crime scene?"

"What crime scene?" Miller was nervous now.

"A basement unit of a building on West 34th. It belonged to a man named Brian Watson. He was found dead in his apartment."

"What, and you think I did that?"

Castle spoke for the first time since he walked in the door. "You have been known to assault people."

Miller tried to act tough, but he failed miserably. "Yeah, but I never killed nobody. And I've never been to that guy's place either. You're looking at the wrong guy."

Beckett leaned back in her chair. "You know that's funny, because we've got your prints at a murder scene, a rap sheet full of burglary arrests, and a history of violence. So what happened, Gerald? 'Cause this is what I'm thinking. You jimmy the window grates open, snuck into the apartment, and that's when Brian surprised you. He was going to call the cops, so you had to silence him. How am I doing so far?"

Finally, Miller caved. "You got it all wrong. Yeah, I was there. I'd been casing the joint for a couple of weeks, you know learning his schedule. That night, I went in through the window, but I swear, I didn't jimmy the grate, it was already open. I thought it was broken or something. I went inside, started looking around, and that's when I saw the dude. He was already dead. I took one look and got the hell out of there."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"That's the truth."

Castle decided it was time to get his alibi. "Where were you between 1 and 4am two nights ago?"

"At a club two blocks away. I was sitting at the bar until about 3:30. That's when I left to walk to that guy's place. I got there about 3:45."

Castle asked the next question. "Can anyone confirm that?"

"Ask the bartender. He should remember me."

Castle shrugged and asked, "Bartenders must have a lot of customers. Why would he remember you?"

"Because he kept asking if I wanted to get anything, and I kept telling him no." Gerald glanced around the room. "Can I go now?"

Beckett started to gather her papers. "You've admitted to breaking and entering a residence, and you think I'm going to just let you walk out of here? Not a chance, Gerald." She signaled to the mirror and a uniform walked into the interrogation room. "Your next stop is with booking."

* * *

Beckett hung up the phone and groaned. Lanie had narrowed down the time of death to between 1:30 and 3 am. Esposito and Ryan had tracked down the bartender and confirmed that Gerald Miller had been at the bar until about 3:30. And the shoeprint matched the shoes that Miller was wearing, so it wasn't the killer's shoeprint. The shelter had confirmed that their homeless man had been at the shelter all night. So the homeless man, Gerald Miller, and Alexandra "Jessica" Stevens were ruled out. Without any evidence pointing to the killer, this case was going to become a cold case very soon. Castle had grabbed lunch for the team and everyone was doing the same thing, eating and staring at the murder board. Until the phone rang.

"Beckett. Okay, we'll be there in 15." She hung up the phone and turned to the team. "We got another body."

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to thank phxgrl and sxcthing123 for their reviews. Hearing that people love my writing really makes me smile. If you'd like to make me smile, please leave a review. I know where this story will go, but I would love to hear any suggestions or comments you might have. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I had to split this chapter because it was getting too long. I tried to cover more time, but I just couldn't stop writing. Hopefully I will be able to get the next chapter up soon. Thanks to all of you who are reading. Special thanks to phnxgrl, Danielle, and sxcthing123 for their reviews; I'm just loving the feedback!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Beckett and Castle pulled into a spot near the crime scene just ahead of Ryan and Esposito. The murder was in another apartment building. Beckett asked the uniform at the door where it was and was told that the victim had been found in a fourth floor unit, number 417. The team got into the elevator and soon, they were at the scene. Outside the door, uni's were holding back potential witnesses, and there was a red-headed woman standing off to the side. She appeared to be crying. Castle held up the tape and Beckett experienced the brief flashback she always had when crossing the tape. _You know what you're about to find, so just concentrate on your job._ She looked around the apartment and found that most of the activity was focused in the back. She followed the activity and found Lanie standing over the body in the bedroom.

Beckett prepared herself to meet the victim. "What have we got, Lanie?"

Lanie looked up and gave Beckett a sad smile. "Jason Caldwell, 38. Looks like the same M.O. as Brian Watson. I'll have to get him back to the morgue to confirm that. From the look of these defensive wounds, he put up a fight. We'll see if any of this blood came from the attacker."

Beckett knelt down to examine the injuries closely. "Time of death?"

"Preliminary estimate is between 5 and 9 last night. I'll see if I can narrow that down."

Beckett stood. "Thanks Lanie." She couldn't seem to look away from the victim. "Who found him?"

Esposito came back from talking to the uniforms outside. "His wife found him when she came home this afternoon from her trip. She was visiting her mother in Boston this past week. Ryan's talking to her now."

Beckett finally tore her eyes from the victim and looked at Esposito. "I noticed cameras on the way in. Let's see if security will let us take the footage. If not, do what you can to get a warrant. Maybe we'll get lucky and the killer came in through the front door." Esposito headed downstairs to talk to the managers.

Ryan came in from talking to the wife. "So the wife said that she got home late this morning and that the only thing that seemed out of place was that the window in the living room was open. She closed it and then went into the kitchen to make lunch," he looked at his notes, "around 11:30. After cleaning up her leftover pasta, she went to take a shower. That's when she saw the body and called 911."

Beckett looked toward the living room. "Which window?"

Ryan led the way to the living room and pointed to the window on the far right side of the room. There wasn't a fire escape leading up to it, and there was no sign of forced entry.

Beckett examined the window closely. "Have forensics dust both sides for prints. I doubt the killer got in this way, but it doesn't hurt to check." Ryan turned to one of the CSU's and told him to dust the window. Beckett turned to look at Castle. "Castle?"

He seemed to come out of a reverie. "Hmm?"

Beckett brow was pinched with concern. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

She arched one eyebrow. "That's a dangerous past time, you know."

Castle looked up in surprise. "Beauty and the Beast, detective?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I said anything." Castle pouted and Beckett sighed. "What were you thinking about?"

"Well, the killer was careful enough to turn off the cameras last time, but this time there was no way to do that without being seen by them first. Maybe he pulled a Timothy Dalton in Charlie's Angels."

Beckett couldn't help being a little skeptical. "A Timothy Dalton?" Ryan had returned and he looked just as confused as she felt.

"Yeah. The killer, or a relative, lives in the same building, so the doorman never gets suspicious about the killer's presence. He know Jason's schedule, waits until he opens the window last night, and then uses a rope from the roof to get down to this level, killed Jason, and then left though the window again."

Beckett became thoughtful. "Unlikely, but get uni's to check the roof just in case. See if Castle's theory is even plausible. And check with all the residents who have a window above this one, see if any of them reported a break-in yesterday." Ryan went to talk to the uniforms at the door.

Castle fell in step with Beckett as they left the apartment. "You never know. It worked in the TV show."

Beckett rolled her eyes and ducked under the tape. "Yeah, because it was a TV show."

* * *

Back at the precinct, Beckett finished updating the murder board. The only prints that forensics found belonged to the Caldwells. The window was a negative for any foreign prints. Uniforms had checked the roof, and while Castle's theory that the killer had used a rope to get into the apartment looked like it could be plausible, they had been unable to determine if anyone actually did so. None of the residents living in the units above the Caldwells reported break-ins either. The building had cameras in the lobby, elevators, and on each floor at the elevator bays and at the stairwell entrances, but none in the stairwells or on the roof. Security had agreed to send them a copy of their surveillance tapes for the past six months, which Ryan was going currently over.

Esposito hung up the phone and walked over to Beckett. "You are not going to believe who Jason Caldwell's employer is."

Castle jumped in. "Bretz and Coven."

Esposito looked a little surprised, but continued with his information. "Yeah, his company just called to report him missing. Apparently, he left work early yesterday, around 4:30. When he didn't come in today, they called it in."

"Which fits with the timeline." Beckett sighed as she sat down at her desk. "Find out what you can about his life. Go over personal financials, find out if the wife had motive, anything you can dig up. Someone wanted him dead."

Castle sat down in his chair as Esposito went back to his desk. "It could be that he was involved in the financial scam with Watson."

"I know, but I want to make sure, not jump to conclusions." Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay Lanie, we'll be right down."

* * *

When Beckett and Castle arrived, Lanie started right into the report. "I'm still trying to narrow down the time of death, but just as I suspected, Mr. Caldwell was stabbed with the same type of weapon and same method that was used on Brian Watson. The only real difference is that this victim has defensive wounds."

Beckett started to think out loud. "He tried to defend himself. If Watson didn't have any defensive wounds, then he probably knew his killer…"

Castle interrupted. "So he didn't think to defend himself…"

Beckett was on the same page. "He trusted this person…"

"And that's when they literally stabbed him in the back."

Lanie couldn't resist. "So cute when you two do that."

Beckett didn't like when Lanie pointed out stuff like that. "Lanie."

Lanie put her hands up defensively. "I'm just saying, the way you guys are able to complete each other's sentences, it's cute."

Beckett's phone rang. She excused herself and left the autopsy room to take the call. Lanie dropped the unconcerned pretenses and looked up at Castle.

"How is she doing?"

Castle shrugged. "She's doing what she always does. Puts up the walls and stares it right in the face."

Lanie glared at him. "That's not what I mean."

Castle nodded. "I know. We did talk about it last night. She hates that this is digging up so many bad memories from her past, but she knows that she can't hide from it and knows that to get past it, she has to go through it. So she puts on the mask and doesn't flinch. Honestly, I think that now that she's had some time to get her head around what's happening, she's ready to do what it takes to find Rathborne's apprentice and bring whoever it is to justice."

Beckett walked back in and noticed the look on Lanie's face. "Lanie, I'm fine. This case will be tough, but I can handle it."

Lanie forced a smile. "My offer still stands, you know."

Beckett smiled at her friend. "If I need to talk, I'll let you know, I promise." She turned to Castle. "That was Ryan. He noticed that an electrician came to the building with a couple large bags, went up the elevator to the eighth floor, and left right in the middle of the kill zone."

Castle wasn't following. "So?"

"He left from the stairwell and the second bag looked empty. Uniforms managed to track him down; they're bringing him in now."

Castle understood now. "Do you think he did it?"

Beckett smiled and headed for the elevator. "Let's find out."

* * *

The electrician was in the Interrogation Room when Beckett and Castle arrived in the Observation Room. Esposito was waiting with a folder.

"His name is Ewan Brebnor. He's from Scotland, emigrated to the States almost ten years ago. Record is clean and his employer says that there have been no complaints filed against him. But, he just happens to be 5'8"."

Beckett took the folder from Esposito. "How long was he in the building?"

"Time stamp says that he entered the building just before Lanie's estimate, but he spent almost two hours in the building."

Castle brought up his theory again. "That's plenty of time to go up one floor to the roof, use a rope to get down to the apartment, kill Caldwell, clean up, go back up to the roof, and use the stairwell to go back out the front door."

Beckett opened the door to leave the Observation Room. "Let's not jump to conclusions. There are some gaping holes in that theory."

Castle followed her out. "Like what?"

Beckett didn't answer and entered the Interrogation Room. Brebnor sat up and watched as she and Castle sat down. The expression on his face was confusion. He clearly had no idea why he was here.

Beckett wanted to confirm that he wasn't just a good actor. "Mr. Brenor, do you know why you're here?"

Brebnor answered in a Scottish accent. Apparently his time in the States hadn't stripped him of that. "No, the men who picked me up said that I needed to come down here, so I did. What is this about?"

"A man was murdered at an apartment building on 54th and Lexington Ave. late yesterday afternoon. Do you know anything about that?"

"No, but I was at that building yesterday. I was supposed to fix a broken radio setup on the third floor."

"We have you on a camera going up to the eighth floor. If your job was on the third, why did you go all the way up to the eighth?"

"The invoice I was given was a little hard to read. It should be on the clipboard that those officers took from me when they brought me in here. My boss's handwriting is absolutely abysmal. I mean, this wasn't the first time I went to the wrong flat because the numbers were fuzzy." He laughed, then saw that Beckett wasn't amused. "Anyway, I thought that it read 841. So I knocked and I was told that I had the wrong address. With my boss, his threes and eights look almost identical, and the ones and sevens do too. So I tried 847. Same thing, wrong address. So I took the stairs down to the third floor."

Castle wanted to know why he used the stairs. "Why not just take the elevator?"

Ewan turned to Castle. "I get claustrophobic. I take the elevator only when I absolutely have too. It's a lot easier to carry something down the stairs than it is to carry it up, so I took the elevator up and the stairs down. I went down to the third floor, tried 347, and was told I had the wrong address. So I tried 341, and finally had the right place. I replaced the output transformer and loop antenna assembly, checked that it worked and left."

"On the camera, we could see that when you came in, you had two full bags. But when you left, only one bag was full, the other was empty. Why was that?"

Ewan's hands began to gesture as if they would help him tell the story. "The flat had a really old style radio, a 1947 Farnsworth GK267. It was an heirloom of sorts. The transformer and antenna assembly broke and they needed new parts. The parts were ordered by us ages ago and they came into the warehouse two days ago. I went to the building to replace the parts. That was what was in the second bag."

Beckett saw a flaw in Ewan's story. "So where did the broken parts go?"

Ewan shrugged. "The family has a son who wants to be an electrical engineer when he graduates from NYU. He asked if he could keep the broken parts to see how they worked, to experiment with it. You know, take it apart and put it back together. I didn't see the harm in it, and his parents didn't mind, so I let him keep them."

There was a tap on the glass and Beckett excused herself. Castle and Beckett went into the Observation Room. Ryan was there with Esposito.

"What do you have?"

Ryan spoke first. "I scanned all the video the day that Mr. Brenor was at the vic's building. He shows up on all the right cameras, and his bag is still full when he gets down to the third floor."

Castle looked disappointed. "So he didn't go to the roof?"

Esposito held up a copy of Brenor's invoice. "The man wasn't kidding when he said that his boss's handwriting was hard to read. If there had been 90 apartments on each floor he probably would have checked 897, 891, 397, and 391 as well."

Beckett took the paper and Castle looked over her shoulder at it. "Wow. That is hard to read. Reminds me of a doctor's handwriting. Maybe his boss was a doctor in a past life."

Beckett handed the paper back to Esposito. "Castle, doctors aren't the only people with bad handwriting. Esposito, check with the residents of the building, see if the people in the units he mentioned remember him knocking at their door. Ryan, I want you to check with building security. See if Mr. Brebnor is a regular there."

They both nodded and headed out of the Observation Room. Beckett and Castle returned to the interrogation room.

Brebnor glanced up. "Am I able to go yet?"

Beckett sat down. "Just a couple more questions for you. Where were you two nights ago between 1:30 and 3 am?"

Brebnor answered quickly. "I was at home, asleep. I live in Queens and my day starts pretty early, so I'm always in bed by 9:30."

Beckett made a note. "Can anyone confirm that?"

Brebnor laughed. "My neighbor is always joking that I snore like a bear. He would probably remember. Listen, I have a few more invoices and I would like to get them done by the end of the day so I can keep my employment record clean. May I go?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes, you can go. But don't leave town until we talk again."

Brebnor stood and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who were curious, a Farnsworth GK267 is a real radio that was made in the late 1940's. My great-grandfather had one, but I don't know where it has gone; it was probably sold to a collector or something. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, donations ;-) feel free to leave a comment or review. As always, I look forward to seeing what you think. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank phnxgrl for her review. This is the second half of Chapter 5. This chapter almost wrote itself and even with the split, it still is a bit of a long one. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Beckett returned to the murder board and updated the information about the electrician. The Caldwell's financials hadn't come in yet, so there was no new information on that front. She took a step back and looked at the board. It was filling up, but there wasn't any information that pointed to the killer. If there were any more bodies, they'd have to begin another board.

Ryan hung up the phone and called across the bull pen. "Brebnor wasn't the regular. But I called his company; he is an expert at older model electronics, which is why he was the one sent to fix that old radio."

Esposito hung up his phone. "I just finished talking to the residents of 841, 847, and 347. They all remember an electrician named Ewan coming to their place yesterday afternoon. And the residents of 341 confirmed that he fixed their old Farnsworth GK267 radio. They say he was there from a little after 6 until 7pm."

Castle looked across the bull pen to Esposito. "It took him almost an hour to fix an old radio?"

Esposito shrugged. "Mr. Kestler, owner of 341, said that Ewan was showing his son what to do while he worked. Apparently the two got along really well. And he confirmed that the son kept the old output transformer and loop antenna assembly."

Beckett added that information to the board as well. Just as she put the marker in the tray, the elevator dinged. Beckett glanced over and saw Alex headed toward them. As Alex got to the board, she looked at the picture of the newest victim and gasped.

"Jason's dead?"

Beckett went into interrogation mode. "You knew him?"

Alex stared at the board and nodded. "He was my supervisor. I was investigating him."

"He was in on the scam too?" Castle's tone was a little too smug.

Alex nodded again. "He was the guy Brian would report to. I overheard Brian talking to him about what he had been doing on his end. That's when I opened an investigation into Jason." Alex sighed. "When he didn't come to work today, I was afraid something like this had happened. He never misses work."

Beckett remembered the call the company made that afternoon. "We were told that he had left early yesterday. Do you know why that was?"

"He was leaving when I got back from here. I asked him where he was going and he said his wife had been away visiting her mother and was supposed to get back today while he was at work. He wanted to clean the house so that when she came back, she would be able to relax." Alex suddenly looked horrified. "Oh, no. Judy wasn't the one that discovered him, was she?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes, his wife was the one who found his body."

Alex turned to Beckett. "Judy must be devastated. Their anniversary was coming up. Ten years next week."

Castle looked over at Alex. "You know, for someone who is investigating people for financial fraud, you seem to care about them a lot."

Alex looked up at Castle. "In the past six months, I've gotten to know them. It always hurts when I have to turn them in. Most of the time they are really nice guys, they've just made bad decisions that unfortunately hurt a lot of innocent people. I actually feel bad more for Judy then for Jason. She doesn't have any idea what he's been doing at his job. And now he's dead." She looked back at the board.

Beckett glanced down at the laptop bag. "Are you done collating?"

Alex held up the bag. "All done. And putting my notes in order just helped me to prove a link to Maxwell Robinson, the Junior Partner. Where do you want to set up? Conference Room again?"

They moved into the Conference Room. An email was sent to all the computers and the detectives got to work. After a couple hours of perusing the documents, Beckett and the others understood how the scam was working. They were also sure that Robinson was the one organizing the scam and was probably the one hiring Rathborne's Apprentice to eliminate any people connected with the scam that Alex was investigating in order to protect himself. Unfortunately, without stronger evidence, everything was merely supposition. They would have to get a hold of Robinson's personal financials, and no judge would agree to that without harder evidence.

Eventually, Beckett glanced at her father's watch and decided to call it a night. Everyone packed up their things and rode the elevator down together. Outside the precinct, they bid their goodbyes. Alex, Esposito, and Ryan got into cabs and Beckett and Castle got into her car. Beckett and Castle talked about the case on the way home, but they couldn't think of any new leads to follow. Kate pulled into a spot and they headed to Rick's loft. Dinner was leftovers again and Alexis called just as they finished cleaning up. She told them all about school, the classes she was taking, how they were going, what Ashley had planned for their last date, and the friends she hung out with. Kate was happy for Alexis, but Rick was concerned about Ashley's intentions. Alexis just laughed at her dad.

After an hour long conversation, Alexis told them that she had to finish a paper that was due at the end of the week and should get to work on it. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Kate laughed at the concerned look on Rick's face. He grinned and then pulled her close for a tender kiss. He had just started to unbutton Kate's blouse when Martha swept in.

"Hello kiddos! How's the case coming along?"

Kate blushed and re-buttoned her blouse before turning to Martha. "Still no solid leads."

Martha pulled off her coat and walked to the fridge. "That's too bad. Hopefully you can catch a break soon. Is the pasta all gone?"

"Mother, weren't you supposed to move back into the apartment over your school?"

Martha pulled out a bag of salad and some BBQ chicken. "I was, but the pest problem that the landlord wanted to take care of wasn't taken care of yet, so I thought I could stay here for a couple nights. I called you, remember?"

"Yes, but that was a week ago."

Martha pulled out a large bowl and a knife to fix herself a BBQ chicken salad. "I called Stanley yesterday and he said that the exterminators should be done by the end of the week. So this won't last too much longer and then you can kick me out again. Has Alexis called lately?"

Kate smiled. "You just missed her."

"Oh, how is she?" Martha took a bite of her dinner.

Rick nodded. "Everything is going well, though she hasn't really decided on a major. I just hope Ashley doesn't force her to drop out of school."

Martha swallowed and then frowned. "Why would he do a thing like that?"

"If he marries her and gets her pregnant…"

Martha interrupted him. "Oh, hush. Alexis is a smart girl and even if she does marry young, she will find a way to finish her education. Stop worrying."

They talked while Martha finished her dinner. Her play was doing well, and there were rumors of a venue change in the future. Once the kitchen was cleaned up and the food was put away, Martha headed off to her room. Kate and Rick headed to theirs too. They got ready for bed, climbed in, and fell asleep tangled in each other's arms.

* * *

Kate's phone woke them up at a quarter to 6. She fumbled to find it in the dark and glanced at the caller ID. It was Ryan. Kate groaned and answered the phone.

"Beckett. Okay, we'll be there in 30."

Rick tried to pull Kate back into bed. "Castle, we have to get up, Ryan called; they found something."

* * *

When they arrived at the precinct, Beckett only stopped at her desk long enough to put her bag and coat down. Then the headed straight into the conference room where Ryan and Esposito where studying some documents. Piles of paper covered the table and they both were armed with highlighters, pens, notebooks, and their laptops.

Beckett was all business. "What did you guys find?"

Ryan looked up with a huge grin on his face. "Only the link between our victims and the person who was running the whole thing."

Castle gestured to what could easily be called a huge mess. "And what is all this?"

Esposito took up the torch. "These are the financial records for the Caldwells and Brian Watson. See these deposits? They come from a bank account in the Cayman Islands. Both victims were receiving money from the same account. These records," he gestured to another stack, "are records from Bretz and Coven that Alex managed to dig up for us. They have been making small 'investment' deposits to this account for years. According to Alex's notes, the amounts correspond to the amounts that were not disclosed on the doctored documents she was being given."

Beckett looked over Esposito's notes. "Who did the account belong too?"

Ryan grinned at Esposito. "You want to tell them?"

Esposito grinned back. "Nah man, you found it."

Beckett rolled her eyes and turned to leave. "When you guys are done being cute, come and find me. I'll be at the board."

Ryan started telling the story. "We're waiting to get a warrant to see the records, which will take a while, seeing as they are in the Cayman Islands. But I called up the bank, said I had received a deposit from an account number I didn't recognize, and asked if they would be able to tell me who the account belonged to. I didn't think they would, but they gave me the name of the person who owns the account."

"And?"

"Well, it wasn't the junior partner. It was his secretary. Angela Crawford."

* * *

Angela Crawford sat in the Interrogation Room looking like a queen who was stuck in a cheap motel. It was clear that she wasn't accustomed to sitting in a room where the table wasn't made of solid mahogany and the chairs were made from steel and faux leather. Beckett watched her from behind the glass. The waiting was clearly getting to her. She should really get in there before the lawyer arrived. At least the warrant for the bank records had come through. Now, they had more than just supposition, they had proof of her involvement.

Castle was watching her too. "She reminds me of that plastic surgery woman. Jacey Goldberg. This whole 'holier than thou' attitude she's got going here."

Beckett smirked and entered the Interrogation Room. "Ms. Crawford, I'm Detective Beckett. This is Rick Castle. We just wanted to ask you a few questions about Jason Caldwell."

Crawford's demeanor didn't change as she responded. "What about him?"

Beckett and Castle sat down. "Are you aware that he was murdered two days ago?"

"Yes."

Beckett went for the kicker. "Are you aware that he was involved in a financial scam that is connected to your company?"

Crawford's carefully constructed façade began to crumble, but she tried to hide it. "No, I wasn't aware that anything of the sort was going on."

Beckett opened up the file and pulled out a sheet for the Cayman Islands account. "You know, that's interesting because I have bank records for an account in the Cayman Islands that has your name on it." Beckett slid the paper toward Crawford and pulled out a few more papers that she also slid across the table. "And we have financial records from your company and our victims that say otherwise. You want to tell me why that is?"

Crawford glanced around at everything but the papers, and then she caved. "I, okay, fine, I won't lie. I was involved in the scam. But I swear, I'm not the one organizing it."

Beckett leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table. "If you're not the one organizing it, then who is?"

Crawford was clearly terrified. "No, I can't tell you. He'll kill me, just like he killed Jason and Brian."

Beckett stared Crawford in the eyes to ensure that she got the message. "I can protect you, but not if you don't tell me who from."

Finally, Crawford answered in barely a whisper. "It's my boss."

Castle strained to hear it. "Who?"

Crawford spoke a little louder. "Maxwell Robinson." She sighed and continued, getting louder as she talked. "He's the one behind it all. He told me to set up the account in the Caymans in order to prevent it from being traced back to him. When I set everything up, I was in love with him, so I didn't even question why. And then Jessica showed up and started snooping around. I knew from the start that the senior partner, Clarence Fishbourne, had hired her to find the scam. The reason Max hired me to be his secretary was that I had worked for Hardy and Drew when I first got out of college. He said it was my job to keep an eye out on the employees and see if any of them were fraud investigators."

Beckett sat back in her chair. "Why should I believe you?"

Crawford leaned forward, urging Beckett to understand. "Because I have records that prove Max's involvement. I can bring them to you after I get off work. They're in my office safe. Max doesn't know I have them. You'll protect me?"

Beckett wasn't going to promise anything just yet. "What's on them?"

Crawford sighed. "After Max and I broke it off, I realized that if this scam ever became public, I was going to be the one that took the fall. So I started recording anything he said that was related to the scam. I have the transcripts and recordings in the safe, along with other documents. They prove he was the one behind it all."

Castle jumped in. "Does Maxwell Robinson know that Jessica Gardner was investigating Brain Watson or Jason Caldwell?"

Crawford turned to Castle. "Yes, I told him as soon as knew she was from Hardy and Drew. When Brian was killed, I thought that she did it, because of the break-up. I thought that they broke-up because he had realized that she was a corporate fraud investigator and that she was silencing him to prevent him from blowing her cover. Then Jason was killed. That's when I knew." Crawford turned to plead with Beckett. "Please, you have to protect me. If you don't, he'll kill me."

* * *

Beckett hung up the phone and turned to the team. "Protective detail is all set up for Ms. Crawford. She should get off work in about an hour. Her proof should arrive half an hour after that."

Ryan updated the board and followed Esposito to the break room for coffee. It was probably going to be a long night looking at more financial papers. At least they were getting close to a solve. If the Junior Partner was the one ordering the hits, hopefully they could convince him to give up the hitter. Beckett pulled up Alex's notes on her computer and was going over some of the documents when her phone rang.

"Beckett."

"_Detective Beckett? It's Alex."_

Beckett was surprised. "Alex? What's going on?"

Alex sounded tense. _"Angela Crawford, Max Robinson's secretary, just gave me a box and told me to bring it to you. She said she knew I was from Hardy and Drew and she knew that I would make sure that the contents of this box made it to the right people. She seemed really anxious. What's going on?"_

Beckett grabbed a pen. "Have you looked in the box?"

"_It's some tapes and what looks like transcripts, but I haven't looked too closely. Why?"_

Beckett scribbled a note as the boys re-entered the bull pen. "She was supposed to deliver that here when she got off work. Where is the box now?"

"_Hiding under my desk. Could you send someone to collect this? I don't know what's going on, but if Angela is scared, then something is up. I just don't want this to fall into the wrong hands."_

"I'll send someone over, don't go anywhere." Beckett hung up the phone. "Ryan, I need you to go to the Bretz and Coven office and escort Alex here. Crawford gave her the box. Pretend you're her new boyfriend or something. Just don't let that box out of your sight."

Ryan grabbed his keys and headed for the elevator. "On it."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger (actually, I'm not :). I'm open to any questions, comments, suggestions, and donations ;-) that you might have so feel free to leave a comment or review. I"m look forward to seeing what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: After I finally got over my writer's block, this chapter almost wrote itself. Warning, it is a bit of a long one. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Ryan parked in a space close to the building. He put his badge in his pocket and tucked his gun into the back of his pants. He hoped he didn't look too much like a cop as he stepped out of the car and entered the building. He rode the elevator up to the offices of Bretz and Coven. Ryan asked the receptionist how to get to Jessica Gardner's office, and then he quickly made his way too it, trying not to look nervous. It felt like he was cheating on his wife by just pretending to be "Jessica's" boyfriend in order to protect what was left of her cover. He found her office right where the receptionist said it would be.

After knocking on the door, he opened it. "Hi, honey." He kissed Alex on the cheek. "Ready to go to dinner?"

Alex looked up and almost laughed at the forced grin on Ryan's face. "Honey already? We've only been together a couple days." She bent down to grab the box. "Do you mind helping me with this? I've got a lot of work to take home over the weekend."

Ryan took the box and followed Alex out of her office. "Sorry Jess. I didn't mean to be so forward. What do you want to get for dinner? I just saw this Thai place a couple blocks away. We could go there."

Alex frowned. Ryan was trying too hard; he was probably going to blow their cover. "How about this Chinese place over on West 67th? I've heard it's amazing."

Finally they were in the elevator. Ryan grinned. "That sounds great. Do you want to drop this stuff off now or later?"

Alex shrugged as the elevator doors closed. "Now's good."

They made it too the car without any trouble. The box was locked in the trunk and the trip back to the precinct went smoothly. At the precinct, Ryan grabbed the box and Alex followed him up to the bull pen.

When Ryan and Alex stepped off the elevator, Esposito was waiting for them. "So, how was the date?"

Alex grinned. "I sure hope Detective Ryan is married or in a relationship, because it looked like pretending to be my boyfriend was painful."

Castle joined in with the ribbing. "Jenny is a lucky lady if pretending to cheat on her was hard for you to do."

Ryan set down the box in the conference room. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys can say what you want, but I don't think anyone suspected a thing."

Alex rolled her eyes and Castle just stared at her. "Have you been practicing that, because you looked just like Kate for a second."

Beckett walked over to them from the break room. "Glad to see you made it here safely, Alex. This is the box?"

Alex glanced at it. "Yeah, this is everything that Angela gave me. What's going on? I've never seen her so terrified."

Beckett started to unpack the box. "We managed to connect her to the scam through an account in the Cayman Islands that both Jason and Brian were receiving payouts from. She claims that the Junior Partner, Maxwell Robinson, was the one telling her what to do. This should prove his involvement."

Alex was intrigued. "If this proves that Max was involved, could I get copies to turn in to Hardy and Drew? It would help to close the investigation."

"Of course." Beckett put a tape in the player. "We just need to see what is on these tapes."

They listened to the tapes and checked them with the transcripts Crawford had made for the next two hours. The tapes proved without a doubt that Maxwell Robinson was the ringleader for the scam. They also uncovered other members of the conspiracy, most of whom Alex was investigating. When they were done listening to the tapes, Beckett updated the board and glanced at a clock.

"It's too late to call a judge tonight, and I don't think that Max is going anywhere." Beckett turned back to the boys. "Just in case, put his name on the no fly list and get his picture out to the Port Authority. If he does rabbit, I want to know about it."

The boys nodded and got out their phones. Alex walked up to Beckett. "I hope you put Angela under protection. Her testimony will be crucial in his trial."

Beckett turned to Alex. "Does he know what Angela has on him?"

Alex's brow furrowed as she thought. "I don't think he knows about the tapes, but if everything in the scam pointed to her and he knows she talked to the cops, I have no doubt that he will have her killed to protect himself." Alex looked concerned. "She will be protected, right?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes, we have a team in place. I got an update from them an hour ago, she is at home. They will keep her safe, I promise. I'm sending you home with a team as well. If I were Maxwell Robinson, I'd want to kill the investigation from both sides."

Alex nodded. "Thank you, Detective, for everything. I don't think I would have closed this case if it weren't for your help." They shook hands. "Listen, here's my card. If you ever have a case where your forensic guys can't figure out someone's financials, I'd love to take a look."

Beckett smiled as she took the card. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help. Good luck."

Alex grabbed her coat and headed for the elevator. "Good night, Detective."

* * *

Beckett filled out the form on the warrant for Maxwell Robinson's arrest before clocking out for the night. Kate and Rick picked up a pizza on their way home and ate it as they watched an episode of CSI that they had Tivoed. They were cleaning up when Kate's phone rang.

She picked it up. "Beckett."

On the other end, Beckett could hear signs of a struggle. _"Detective, its Angela. Help me! The killer is…"_

The sentence ended in a high pitched scream that petered out as Angela's phone hit the floor. Beckett turned white as she realized that she was hearing Angela being murdered. Suddenly, the phone was picked up and the call came to an abrupt end. Beckett frantically dialed the number for the protective detail. They didn't answer. Beckett threw on her coat, grabbed her keys, and ran out the door. Castle followed suit and caught up with her as the elevator doors opened. Beckett explained what she had heard, though Castle had also heard the scream and figured it was either Angela or Alex that was being attacked. Beckett called Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie and gave them Angela's address. As they drove to Angela's apartment, Beckett continued trying to call Angela's protective detail.

Finally, they picked up. "I'm sorry Detective, I don't know how they got past us, but she's dead. Angela Crawford's dead."

Beckett clenched her phone tightly as the news processed. "What happened?"

The officer took a breath before continuing. "One of her neighbors reported a disturbance, and we got up here as fast as we could. We must have just missed him. No one was in the house, but there is a blood trail leading to the fire escape. We didn't pursue at first because we were checking the house and trying to save Ms. Crawford."

Beckett shook her head. _How could this have happened? _"Did you follow the trail?"

The officer took another breath. "Yes. There was a trashcan on the roof that was on fire. I'm guessing that the killer burned the clothes they were wearing to destroy any evidence. We put out the fire, but I don't think anything is salvageable. What do you want us to do now?"

Beckett parked outside the building. "Start by detaining possible witnesses and secure a perimeter. It may be too late to catch the Fox tonight, but I want to know what happened here."

Beckett turned off the car and called in for backup to cordon off an area and detain anyone that didn't belong or looked suspicious. She knew it was a futile attempt, but she was hoping that they would get lucky.

* * *

Beckett and Castle stepped into the apartment and looked around. There were definite signs of a struggle. Lanie came in after them and went straight to the body. After giving her a few minutes with it, Beckett walked over to Lanie for the report.

"Whatcha got for me?"

Lanie held up the victim's wrist. "The festivities turned deadly at about 10:31pm. That's when Crawford's watch broke." She gestured to the other wounds. "But from the way these other stab wounds were bleeding, I'd say she didn't die immediately."

Beckett knelt down to get a closer look. "Her detail said that they got up here by 10:38."

Lanie scribbled a few notes. "I'd say T.O.D. was between 10:31 and 10:41. She also has a lot of defensive wounds. She fought very hard to stay alive."

Beckett moved the victim's shirt to look at one of the stab sites. "Same weapon?"

Lanie nodded. "I'd say yes, but I'll need to get her back to the lab to know for sure. And by the way, you don't have to call Javier and me when you have a crime scene. We do live together now."

Beckett gave Lanie a half smile. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Lanie."

Castle walked beside Beckett as she surveyed the scene. "What are you thinking?"

"Rathborne's apprentice was very good. He slipped past a protective detail that was watching the entrances to the building and the fire escape that led to Crawford's apartment." Beckett stopped walking and turned in a slow circle, before turning to face Castle. "She knew who it was, Rick. She tried to tell me who the killer was before she died."

Castle pulled Beckett in for a hug. "It's not your fault. You weren't here, and she obviously didn't know who it was before she was attacked. If it's any consolation, she tried to tell you who it was. She just didn't have enough time." He kissed her hair and released her.

Beckett nodded. "I know. It's just hard knowing that we were that close to knowing the answer."

* * *

Beckett and Castle didn't sleep much that night. The next morning, they went back to Angela's building to walk the scene, trying to find any possible ways that the killer could have gotten past the detail. After an hour of searching, they gave up and Beckett went to the precinct. Castle had to meet with his publisher, and as hard as he tried he couldn't get out of it. Ryan and Esposito looked like they hadn't gotten much sleep either and had already started another board for Angela Crawford's murder. Lanie was conducting the autopsy and promised to call when she was done.

The warrant for Maxwell Robinson's arrest went smoothly and he was on his way into the precinct for questioning, along with his lawyer. Beckett hated when the lawyers came into the picture, but it was unavoidable.

Beckett grabbed another coffee and went back to the board. Forensics had tried to recover DNA from the burned clothing, but there was nothing. There were no prints on the trashcan or in the apartment, and all blood samples were coming back to the victim. Even with a protective detail racing to save their charge, the killer was able to avoid leaving any incriminating evidence behind.

Ryan hung up his phone and called to Beckett. "Robinson's financials just came in."

"Go over them; find anything that proves he hired someone to kill our vics."

Esposito hung up his phone. "Patrol car with Robinson just got here. So is his lawyer."

Beckett nodded and frowned. "Keep him on ice until we find something. I want enough evidence to prevent the lawyer from getting him released."

A timid voice spoke from behind Beckett. "Detective?"

She turned around. "Alex. What are you doing here?"

"Is it true, Angela's dead?" Alex looked crushed, like she was bracing for the worst news.

Beckett sympathized. "Yes, I'm afraid she is."

Alex shook her head. "Same as the others?"

Beckett nodded. _I hate delivering this kind of news_. "Yes."

Alex sat down in Castle's chair. "I thought you said she had a protective detail?"

Beckett sat down and turned to Alex. "She did, but somehow the killer managed to slip past them."

"So how safe am I really?" Alex looked at Beckett calmly, but her eyes were terrified.

"I'm doubling the detail on you. You should be safe." Beckett changed the subject. "Alex, you once said that the Junior Partner's reputation wasn't exactly clean. What did you mean by that?"

Alex leaned back in the chair as she recalled the story. "He was a lawyer with a firm in Atlanta, Georgia before he came to New York. Rumor has it that in August of 1998, he was trying to get a continuance in order to find the evidence he needed to prove his client's innocence. The opposing lawyer wanted the trial to start immediately. The night before the trial was to begin, the other lawyer was mugged on his way home, and he was murdered. There was no way to prove it at the time, but people think that the other lawyer's deadly mugging was actually ordered by Robinson in order to force the prosecution to request a continuance. The continuance gave him the time he needed to find the evidence he needed, and the prosecution's new lawyer didn't know the case enough to argue it properly. Robinson won the case."

Beckett was curious. "How was the other lawyer killed?"

"He was stabbed in the back." Alex stood to leave. "I should get going. Hardy and Drew wants me to report my findings, so I need to get to the New York office. I also need to let them know that the star witness is no longer available to testify. Good luck, detective."

Beckett nodded distractedly. "Take care."

Alex headed for the elevator. The doors opened and Maxwell Robinson was escorted off in handcuffs. Alex hurried onto the elevator as Robinson glared at her. As he was ushered into an Interrogation Room, Beckett called Lanie and asked her to look into the coroner's report of a mugging death of a lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia in August of 1998. Then she joined the boys as they pored over the records. They had highlighted three transactions that went to an account that was in the Cayman Islands. The dates of the transactions were one or two days before the deaths of Brian, Jason, and Angela.

Beckett examined the records from over Ryan's shoulder. "How far back do the records go?"

Ryan glanced up at Beckett looking confused. "1987, why?"

"Check for a large payment in August of 1998. Alex just told me where his unclean reputation came from and I have a suspicion that I want confirmed."

Esposito flipped to August of 1998 and started scanning. "Right here. There is a $50,000 payment to an account, whoa, it's in the Caymans. The account looks familiar too."

Beckett grabbed the page and examined it. _This number does seem familiar._ "Check it against Rathborne's known accounts."

Esposito pulled up Jack Coonan's case. "Yeah, it's one of Coonan's accounts. You think he hired Rathborne? For who?"

"A lawyer on the opposite side of the court room. Check these records to see if he hired Rathborne again between '98 and just before Coonan's death." Beckett's phone rang. She walked back to her desk and answered it. "Beckett."

"_Kate, it's Lanie. I called the Atlanta Coroner's Office and they emailed me the report you asked for."_

Beckett felt herself becoming excited. "Did you find anything?"

Lanie sounded tense. _"He was killed by Dick Coonan. Thrust angles and bruising patterns are a match."_

"Thank you Lanie. I owe you." Beckett hung up the phone. "That was Lanie; Rathborne killed a lawyer in Atlanta. Time to see what Robinson has to say for himself."

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter that needed to be split. Next chapter, the title of this story will be explained (I thought I would get to this point sooner, oh well. ;-P ). Let me know what you want to see happen. I'm open to any questions, comments, suggestions, and donations ;-) that you might have so feel free to leave a comment or review. I look forward to seeing what you think. Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Here is the second half of Chapter 7. It was strange how quickly this chapter almost wrote itself. I was dreading writing for the lawyer, but that character actually didn't mind telling me how his voice should sound. And before I forget, I'd like to thank phnxgrl for her review! :) Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than the last couple, but not by much. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 8

Beckett put a file together of crime scene photos, financial records, Angela's transcripts and a tape, and Lanie's autopsy report for the lawyer from Georgia. With the evidence in hand, she strode into the Interrogation Room.

"Mr. Robinson, I'm Detective Kate Beckett. You've been informed of your rights?"

The lawyer cut in. "Detective Beckett, this meeting is outrageous. My client did not kill anyone."

Beckett sat down and leaned forward to face the lawyer. "You're right, Strappfield. Your client hasn't personally killed anyone. He hired a hitman to do it for him and..."

Robinson looked pale but didn't speak. His lawyer however cut Beckett off mid-sentence. "You are trying to pin the murders of a serial killer on my client? Are you really going to go there?"

Beckett sat up a little straighter in her chair and opened her folder. "This was not the work of a serial killer. The victims were all killed the exact same way and with too much precision to be just a serial killer. The person who did this," she pulled out the photos of the scenes and laid them in front of Robinson, "was a professional."

Strappfield jumped in without even looking at the pictures. "You don't have any proof that links my client to this."

"Actually I do." Beckett opened her folder again. "These are your client's financial record. Don't worry, we got a warrant. There are four payments that were wired to an account in the Cayman Islands. $100,000 each time, three of which were within a day or two of the deaths of Brian Watson, Jason Caldwell, and Angela Crawford. The last transfer was yesterday. So who is next?" Robinson didn't answer. Beckett moved on. "Watson, Caldwell, and Crawford were involved in a financial scam at Bretz and Coven. Are you familiar with Jessica Gardner, Mr. Robinson?"

Robinson finally spoke. "Yes, I know her."

"Did you know that she was an investigator from Hardy and Drew who had identified each of the people who were killed as being connected to the scam?"

Robinson became defensive. "No, I didn't know she was an investigator, and I had no idea that there even was a scam."

Beckett opened her folder again and pulled out one of the transcript from Crawford. "That's interesting, because I have transcripts of recordings from Angela Crawford that tell me otherwise."

Robinson was visibly outraged. "She was taping me?"

The lawyer jumped in. "Max, I'm advising you not to comment."

Beckett ignored Strappfield and leaned toward Robinson. "On several transcripts, you are giving Angela orders that she was to pass down to Brian and Jason, as well as several others."

Strappfield interrupted again. "Those 'transcripts' are purely fiction that Crawford wrote up to throw suspicion off her trail."

"That's where you're wrong, Strappfield."

Beckett pulled out a recorder and pressed play. Echoing through the room was Robinson clearly telling Angela that Brain needed to be warned about his girlfriend. Jessica was getting too close to the truth. Angela asked if they should find a reason that would get her fired. Robinson said no, that he would take care of the problem. Beckett shut off the tape and turned to Robinson. He was visibly shaken and knew that they had him.

Beckett put the tape player back in the folder. "There's a lot more where that came from. This recording from two weeks ago shows that, not only did you know about the scam, you knew that Jessica was investigating it. So what did you mean by 'take care of the problem'? Were you planning to kill everyone that could link it back to you?"

Strappfield could smell the direction this conversation was headed. "Max, don't say anything."

"He doesn't need to say anything because the evidence speaks for itself." Beckett decided it was time to pull the final proverbial rug out from under Robinson. "And this wouldn't be the first time he had someone else do his dirty work for him. What was Georgia like, by the way?"

Robinson was confused by the change in direction. "Georgia? What does Georgia have to do with this?"

Beckett leaned back in her chair. "That's where you were practicing before you came to New York, right? I was just wondering if you remember a lawyer down there named Steven Fergusson."

Robinson tried to fain ignorance. "I don't believe I had the pleasure."

_Time to lay out the facts._ "August of 1998. He was your opponent in State vs. Fredrick Kruger. That is until he was murdered on August 24th. Coroner at the time dismissed it as a mugging gone wrong. But we both know that isn't what happened, don't we?" Beckett pulled out the autopsy photos. "He was stabbed in the back. Re-examination of the autopsy report shows that these wounds were not from a random mugger; they were done by a professional. A professional by the name of Richard Coonan, also know as Rathborne."

The lawyer tried to be flippant. "So someone hired a professional to kill that lawyer. That doesn't mean my client had anything to do with it."

Beckett pulled out another page of Robinson's financial records. "I might have believed that if it weren't for the fact that your client wired $50,000 to an account in the Cayman Islands two days before this lawyer's death. The account is one of seven accounts in the Caymans known to have belonged to Dick Coonan. So do you want to tell me what happened, Robinson?"

"How do you know Rathborne?" Robinson almost whispered when he spoke.

"Max, don't say anything else." Strappfield stood up and turned to Beckett. "Detective, this meeting is over. We are leaving."

Beckett stood up and faced the lawyer. "Sit down, Strappfield. Your client isn't going anywhere. We have more than enough to charge him with several things, beginning with financial fraud, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit murder. And that's just in this state. Atlanta PD want him for the murder of Steven Fergusson, and about a dozen other charges too."

Strappfield became belligerent. "This is outrageous. I will not be spoken to like that. I will be talking to your superiors."

Beckett almost laughed. "My superiors are probably watching through the glass, so you don't have to tell them anything they don't already know."

Beckett stared at Strappfield until he sat back down. Then she too sat down and turned her attention back to Robinson. He was accustomed to being in stressful situations in a courtroom, facing tough attorneys and judges, and he had been in several Interrogation Rooms defending clients. But in this Interrogation Room, Beckett could see that Robinson had become a pale and sweaty mess. He knew he was guilty, and he knew that Beckett knew it and could prove it.

Beckett leaned toward Robinson again. "Max, do you really understand what is at stake here? Hiring a professional shows premeditation and is considered a special circumstance case. New York and Georgia are lethal injection states. That qualifies you for the needle in both states, do you understand? If you talk, we can consider taking the special circumstances off the table."

Finally he caved. "Fine, I'll tell you everything…"

His lawyer tried to cut him off again. "Max." Robinson waved him off.

"I'll tell you everything, but I want the special circumstances removed. In both states."

"Okay, I can do that for New York." Beckett stood. "Let me go check and see if Georgia is also willing to work with those terms."

Beckett left the Interrogation Room and entered the Observation Room. Captain Gates was in there with Esposito, Ryan and Castle.

Castle was beaming. "I love it. 'Sit down. Your client isn't going anywhere.' That was classic."

Beckett grinned. "Well, as long as you're happy, I've done my job." She turned to Captain Gates. "Do you think Georgia is willing to work with Robinson's terms?"

Gates turned her head to look at Robinson again. "They sent a detective our way once they heard that we were able to connect Robinson to Fergusson's death. He should arrive any minute now. Good work in there, Detective. Robinson's lawyer won't be pleased, but you didn't do anything wrong."

Castle mused, "It's too bad, he didn't tell us who was next. Then we could protect them."

"I have a feeling that the next target is Alex, but we won't know if Georgia is unwilling to work with Robinson's terms."

A voice with a distinctive Southern drawl came from the open door. "Well, that all depends on what his terms are." The gentleman wearing a travel worn gray suit and bright red tie extended his hand. "Detective Baxtor, Atlanta PD. Which of you is Detective Beckett?"

* * *

Beckett and her team spent the next half hour going over the evidence with Detective Baxtor. They showed how Robinson had hired Rathborne and the indicators on the autopsy that proved Rathborne was the killer. Lanie had confirmed that Angela was killed by the same person who had killed Watson and Caldwell. She also informed them that she had found some blood in one of the wounds that belonged to Caldwell, which meant that the same knife had been used on both Angela and Jason. Esposito and Ryan also found another two payments that went to one of Rathborne's accounts, one of which was just two months before Rathborne was killed.

Once they were done, Baxtor agreed that the evidence they had found would be enough to convict him. After a quick call to his superiors, Baxtor also agreed with Robinson's terms, and said that if he would confess his involvement, Robinson would be granted life in prison instead of the needle. Beckett and Baxtor went into the Interrogation Room as everyone else went to watch from the Observation Room. Robinson and his lawyer had been deep in conversation when the door opened and they both sat up as the detectives entered the room. Robinson's lawyer looked furious, but remained silent.

Beckett sat down and made the introductions. "Mr. Robinson, this is Detective Baxtor from the Atlanta Police Department. Both Detective Baxtor and the state of Georgia have agreed to your terms. In Georgia and New York, the special circumstances no longer apply and you are no longer eligible for the needle. You said you would tell us everything, so let's hear it, starting with Fergusson."

Robinson looked at his hands and sighed. "I hired Rathborne to kill Fergusson. I needed time to prove that my client was innocent and Fergusson wasn't going to give that to me."

Beckett wanted to hear specifics. "How did you know how to hire Rathborne?"

Robinson shrugged. "I was in a bar complaining to the guy sitting next to me. He slipped me a card and said that he knew a guy that could make my troubles go away. I called the number on the card and was told to wire transfer $50,000 to an account number that they gave me. I did what they said and next thing I knew, my opponent had been mugged, and I was given the continuance I needed."

Beckett pulled a photo of Dick Coonan out of her folder. "Was this the guy that gave you the card?"

Robinson's brow furrowed in surprise. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"His name was Richard Coonan, a.k.a. Rathborne." Beckett put the photo back in the folder, and then sat back. "So he gave you his number personally. Did you ever use it after Fergusson?"

"Yes, I used it two more times. The first was in 2002 while I was in Massachusetts; I hired him to kill an opponent that beat me every time we faced each other. The second was in November of 2009 for an employee that had caught onto the scam at Bretz and Coven and threatened to expose it. Even though he didn't know who was involved or who was running it, I had Rathborne silence him before he could say anything."

Beckett made a note to check the Massachusetts lead. "How did you come into contact with the hitman you hired to kill Watson, Caldwell, and Crawford?"

"Jessica Gardner gave it to me. She said that if I would pay her $50,000, she would forget about the investigation. She also said that she knew someone that could help me cover my tracks. She called him Shadow Fox."

Beckett shook her head. "Jessica Gardner gave you the number for an assassin. Somehow, that doesn't add up."

Robinson became defensive. "Just look at her financials. You'll see that she was paid $50,000 dollars from the account in the Caymans that we were hiding the scam money in."

Beckett corralled him before his temper flared again. "Back to the money you shelled out. Who was the last payment for?"

Robinson smiled. "I knew Jessica hadn't stopped the investigation, so I've hired Shadow Fox to kill her."

* * *

Ryan was on the phone with Alex's protection detail when Beckett wrapped the interview with Maxwell Robinson. Robinson was being escorted to booking, his lawyer was furious, and Ryan was tense. Beckett wanted to know what was going on.

Castle started to fill her in. "Alex called down to the protective detail a couple minutes ago. She thought someone was trying to pick the lock to her door. While she was on the phone, he managed to get through the door. They were almost there last I heard."

Ryan hung up his phone. "They chased the suspect up the fire escape and lost him after that. Alex is alive, but she was knocked out. Paramedics are on their way."

Beckett grabbed her keys. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh. So, I decided to leave you with a cliffhanger. Does the title make sense now? I hope so, because I couldn't decide what to name this story when I started writing it. I thought about calling it "Rathborne's Apprentice", but decided to go with the name of the assassin instead. Thoughts? Drop me a line, I would appreciate it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: This chapter is a lot shorter than the last couple, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. In this chapter, we get to find out what happened to Alex.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Beckett and Castle pulled up behind the ambulance when they arrived at Alex's building. She was just being brought out, her arms heavily bandaged and she appeared to be only semi-conscious. Beckett got out of the car and walked up to the paramedics. When she asked for a minute, they nodded and backed away.

Beckett put a friendly but concerned smile on her face as she stopped at Alex's side. "Hey Alex, how are you feeling?"

Alex turned her head slowly and it took her eyes a little time to focus. "Beckett?"

Beckett leaned toward Alex a little. "Yeah, it's me. Do you remember what happened?"

Alex looked away. "It hurts."

Beckett nodded. "I know." The paramedics were coming back. "I'll talk to you at the hospital, okay?"

Alex nodded as the gurney was loaded into the back of the ambulance. It drove away and Beckett headed over to where Castle and the boys were standing.

Castle glanced toward the ambulance as it turned the corner. "How is she?"

Beckett sighed. "She's in a lot of pain and a little out of it, but she'll live. Please tell me you have some good news."

Esposito started the brief. "Her detail says that she called them when she heard someone at her front door. She said it sounded like someone was trying to pick the lock. They immediately ran to get to her apartment and told her to lock herself in her bedroom. But, that's when they heard the front door open and she screamed. They said the phone fell and they could hear a struggle. When they got to the apartment, they saw her on the floor and her attacker had just entered her bedroom, which is where the fire escape is located. They left an officer with her and gave chase. He was running up the fire escape. They followed him to the roof; the door to the stairwell was just closing. They followed, but lost him."

Beckett shook her head. _That's twice now._ "Esposito, canvass the neighbors, see if they heard anything. Ryan, talk to the protective detail, I want to know where they were posted. Find out if there was an entrance to the building that wasn't covered. Castle and I will check out her apartment, see if we can find anything."

Ryan headed over to the huddle of officers that had been on the protection detail, and Esposito headed over to where the neighbors were gathered. Beckett and Castle went into the building and up to Alex's apartment. They ducked under the tape and saw that there had definitely been a fight. Picture frames were knocked off tables and broken. A few chairs were on their sides, and it looked like Alex had used one to keep her attacker at bay. The glass of the television was broken and it was sideways on its stand. A curtain had been yanked off the windows, another was badly slashed. A potted plant had been knocked over and the soil was spilling out of the pot. Splashes of blood were everywhere. CSU's were busy dusting the scene for prints and taking pictures and blood samples.

Castle was in disbelief. "I will say this, Alex is a fighter. Both Jason and Angela's apartments were not trashed nearly this badly when they were attacked. And they both tried to defend themselves."

Beckett nodded. "She probably made sure that she learned some self defense after she was attacked in Chicago. Looks like it paid off. If she got a couple blows in, our killer may have left some blood and/or prints behind."

They did a quick surveillance and went back to where the boys were conducting interviews. Most of the neighbors had been sent back to their homes. The protective detail had left to stand guard at the hospital. Esposito and Ryan were just wrapping up when Beckett and Castle got back down to them.

Beckett started talking before she reached them. "What did you guys find out?"

Esposito looked at his notes. "The neighbors all report the same things. They didn't hear anything weird until Alex screamed. Then they heard a fight. It sounded like Alex was getting beaten, but no one remembers hearing the assailant say anything. A couple people thought Alex was just watching a movie and the action scene had gotten really loud. They do remember hearing the police arrive and someone running up the fire escape, but no one saw our perp."

"Uniforms all report the same story. They also gave me their watch posts." Ryan consulted his notes. "Let's see, they were watching the fire escape up to her apartment, the front entrance, the back entrance, the garage entrance, and the service entrance. The guy who was watching the fire escape said he could see all the fire escapes on that side of the building. The front and back entrance guys said the same."

Castle looked confused, like he had missed something. "What about the service entrance?"

Ryan turned to Castle. "He was posted inside the entrance because it is on the back of the building. That way he could get to Alex faster. He says he was the first to her apartment."

Beckett looked up to the roof of the building. "And the other side of the building is right up against a building that is three stories taller." Suddenly her brow furrowed and she turned to Ryan. "Is there a ladder that goes from the roof of that building to the roof of Alex's?"

Ryan looked at his notes. "Yes."

Castle turned to Beckett. "Are you thinking that the killer knew that and used a fire escape of the neighboring building?"

Beckett nodded. "He gets up to the roof of that building, climbs the ladder down to Alex's building, uses the stairwell to get to Alex's floor, picks her lock and attacks her."

Ryan looked confused. "How did he get away then?"

Beckett returned her gaze to the roofline. "He probably pulled the door to the stairwell open and then hid behind the roof access to throw the cops off his trail. Once they go down the stairwell to follow…"

Castle jumped in excitedly. "He climbs the ladder back up to the other building's roof and uses the fire escape farthest from the police activity to get away."

Beckett turned to Esposito. "Have uni's go through the dumpsters in the area. Tell them to look for a weapon and/or bloody clothes. And have CSU dust the ladder on the roof for prints. You never know, we might get lucky."

Esposito started to walk away. "On it."

* * *

Alex woke up in a hospital room to see Beckett sitting in a chair against the wall. Beckett smiled and stood up. Alex noticed that her arms were bandaged and winced when she touched one.

Beckett sat down on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

Alex grimaced. "Ouch."

Beckett chuckled. "Not as eloquent as I'm accustomed to, but I'll take it." Her expression changed to concern. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you a couple of questions." Alex nodded, so Beckett continued. "Did you know who your attacker was?"

Alexandra shook her head. "No. I didn't get a good look either. I'm terrible with faces anyway, so it probably wouldn't do any good."

Beckett tried again. "Do you remember anything about them?"

Alex thought back, trying to remember more than just the pain and fear. "It was a guy and he had a goatee. He was wearing a baseball hat and gloves. I think his clothes were all black, but the lighting was bad, so I don't know."

Beckett jotted down a note. "Did you notice anything distinctive, like a tattoo, anything that sticks out?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, he had a big knife that looked like it would hurt a lot. And it did." Her eyes were full of fear. "Look, detective, from the pictures you had on that board, I knew that the other people he killed were all stabbed in the back, so I did everything I could to keep his knife as far from my back as possible."

Beckett went to pat her arm and thought better of it. "How did he knock you out?"

Alex's eyes glazed over as she focused on remembering what happened. "He grabbed one of my chairs and threw it at me. I guess he was trying to get me to turn around or something, but I didn't. I tried to get my hands up, but the chair must have knocked me into the wall, because I remember that the back of my head hit something, but I don't remember what happened after that. I guess he heard the cops coming, because I'm alive. He obviously didn't get the chance to stab me." She paused to take a shuttering breath and put her hands on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm not helping."

Beckett shook her head. "You're doing fine." _Now to ask about what Max said_. "Now I have another question to ask. I interviewed Max Robinson today and he said that you took a bribe and gave him the number to an assassin named Shadow Fox. We're getting a warrant for your financials…"

Alex interrupted. "You don't need a warrant. I'll let you look at all the accounts that I've had since I came to New York. Just tell Hardy and Drew that I gave you permission to view my financial records. And you can search my home and office."

"Do you expect me to just take your word on that?"

Alex shook her head with a small smile. "No, you and I are both investigators, so I expect you to check every alibi and every lead. It's your job to do so. But Detective, I deal with people who are involved in financial fraud. These people are rarely inclined to kill. And one of the reasons that I am so good at my job is that I'm not dirty. I don't accept bribes and I certainly don't hand out numbers for assassins. I don't know anyone named Shadow Fox."

"So why would he say you did?"

Alex shrugged. "The way I see it, he knows he's screwed and is trying to take me down with him."

The doctor walked in to check on Alex. Beckett said goodbye and left to let the doctor do his job. She was confident that Alex wasn't the type to accept bribes, but Beckett knew that she would check anyway. Her phone rang.

"Beckett. What? Where did you find it? No, I'm on my way."

* * *

**A/N: And another cliffhanger! Want to know what ****it**** is? You'll have to wait for the next chapter (evil laughter). Special thanks to phnxgrl and southerngirl1 for their reviews. Welcome to the story, southerngirl1, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thanks to phnxgrl for her review! And now for the chapter. I was having a hard time writing this chapter, so this is a short one. Writer's block sucks. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Castle or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Beckett strode into the bullpen and went straight to the boys desks. "What was on it?"

Esposito hit play on the tape player. Maxwell Robinson's voice sounded smug. "_Angela, I want you to wire $50,000 into Jessica's account; with any luck, it will look like she was accepting bribes. Because of Watson's death, the cops are poking their heads around, which means that the scam won't go unnoticed for too much longer. Jessica probably told them about it, so I want her to look just as guilty as all of us will_."

Angela sounded calm. "_Is there any specific date that you want the money to have been deposited on_?"

Robinson sounded impatient. "_I don't care; just make it before Watson's death. And make it from the 'investment' account_."

The door opened. "_Yes, sir_."

Esposito paused the tape. "We checked 'Jessica's' account. There were no deposits of that kind of money from the scam account."

Beckett looked confused. "So?"

Esposito started the tape again. Angela's voice sounded nervous now. "_Jason was just found dead and the cops are saying it was by the same person who killed Brian. I thought Jessica had killed Brian, but now I'm sure that Max is the one ordering the hits. I fear I'm next, so this is probably my last recording. I never made the transfer that Max told me to make. He is hoping that the paper trail ends with me and he wants it to look like I bribed Jessica for some reason. But if this does break badly, I want Max to look as guilty as he is. I'll give these recordings to Jessica, she'll know what to do with them, and she's probably the only person I can trust now_."

Esposito stopped the tape. "We checked all of the accounts for Alex that Hardy and Drew sent over. She has never received a deposit in the size that Robinson claimed went into her account. He didn't know that the 'bribe money' was never sent."

Ryan hung up his phone. "CSU went through everything at Alex's apartment. She doesn't have anything that suggests a knowledge of, and/or connection to, an assassin named Shadow Fox or Rathborne. Her office is clean too. And they also finished dusting the ladder for prints. There are far too many to separate out anyone in particular. But they did find Alex's blood, so you were right about the direction of Shadow Fox's escape route."

Beckett shook her head. "Robinson lied to us. Get him back unto the Interrogation Room; I want another chat with him."

Castle brought two coffees from the break room. "Here you are, gentlemen. Esposito, I don't want to here anything about me never making you coffee. This is the second time this morning and the third time this week."

Beckett smirked. "What's wrong, Castle? Is solving a murder too strenuous? You decided to become Espresso Maker Extraordinaire?"

Castle sat down on the edge of Ryan's desk. "No, I lost a bet. They got a warrant for Angela's office safe this morning; I told them that they wouldn't find anything, but they found that tape shoved in the back. So I now have to be their coffee runner. That was until you got here. What are we going to do now?"

"You are going to watch me talk to Robinson again. Will he be up from holding soon?" Ryan nodded. "Good. Castle, could you be so kind as to get me a coffee?"

* * *

Robinson looked less refined in an orange prison jumpsuit. His lawyer was also present, and he looked less than happy.

Beckett took a seat and opened her folder. "You lied to me, Mr. Robinson."

Robinson was back to being defiant. "About what?"

Beckett sat back and crossed her arms. "About the bribe money that you said was wired to Jessica's personal account. We've checked; she never received $50,000. Ever."

Robinson shook his head. "That bitch."

The lawyer automatically went into defense mode. "Max, I would advise you to stay silent…"

Beckett interrupted his pleading. "Strappfield, your client is already facing life in prison in four different states. Now, Georgia and New York are not…"

Strappfield interrupted, and he was confused. "Four states? My client made a deal with New York and Georgia…"

Beckett interrupted the lawyer. "And he admitted that he hired Rathborne to have two other people killed; an accountant in New Jersey, and a lawyer in Massachusetts. Both Massachusetts and New Jersey are states without the death penalty. As I was saying, Georgia and New York have agreed to take the special circumstances off the table, so he will be serving a life sentence. Whatever else your client has to say will not put the special circumstances back on the table. Although lying to a police officer is a way to ensure that your prison stay will be anything but pleasant. Would you like to try again, Max?"

Robinson was still mumbling about the revelation. "Angela told me that she made the deposit."

Beckett played Angela's last recording. When it ended, she turned it off. "No, she didn't. She wanted to make sure that you would get caught for what you did. Now about Shadow Fox…"

Robinson became insolent again. "I told you everything I know."

Beckett leaned forward on the table. "You see, I think you lied to me again. And you want to know why? Because we have searched everything about Jessica and there is nothing that ties her to an assassin. So how did you really get Shadow Fox's number?"

Robinson heaved a resigned sighed. "Rathborne gave me the number when I hired him to kill Gleeson, the employee that threatened to expose the scam. He said he was getting ready to retire and suggested that I give all future jobs to his protégé."

This answer made more sense, but Beckett acted as though she was skeptical. "And you expect me to just believe you."

"I still have the email. Check it."

Beckett stood to leave. "I will."

* * *

Ryan hung up his phone. "I.T. just confirmed that there was an email from Rathborne that mentioned Shadow Fox. It looks like the email had a sleeper virus attached to it though, because it crashed the I.T. computers before they could get the number."

Castle shook his head. "You know, I would put the special circumstances back on the table just for that."

Beckett wanted to kick him. "He's not the one who would have attached the virus. Rathborne probably did it to prevent the police from intercepting too much information. He was protecting himself, and by extension his protégé. His death didn't kill the virus."

Esposito walked up. "Here are the photos of Alex's defensive wounds. And this is the sketch based on her description. There isn't much detail."

"But it is a start." Beckett put the photos and sketch on the board. "Get this out to all precincts. Maybe they'll have some luck with finding the guy. How is she doing?"

Esposito shrugged. "She's doing okay. She's on some painkillers and she had to get a lot of stitches. But the doctor says she'll be fine and there shouldn't be much scaring. She'll be released tomorrow."

Beckett nodded and sat on the edge of her desk. "Good. She's had a hard enough life; she doesn't need to add this on too. Is Hardy and Drew aware of the situation?"

Ryan came over. "I just gave them an update. They're not happy that we let the killer get past us, but they're glad that she lived and that we are doing everything we can to keep it that way. I.T. however is livid."

Beckett stood up. "Yeah, well, we can't please everyone. How bad was the crash?"

Ryan shrugged. "Lots of information lost on the internal servers, but they saved case files off site, and those files don't appear to be damaged. Oh, and Mr. Robinson has been processed. With his confession and our confirmation of that information, he's on his way to Rikers. He should be officially in his new home by tomorrow. Too bad we couldn't catch Shadow Fox too."

Beckett smiled. "There's always tomorrow. It's getting late, let's call it a night." Beckett and Castle grabbed their coats. "See you in the morning."

* * *

**A/N: I never realized that wrapping up a case that is only half solved would be hard to write. I guess I just like it when all the loose ends are tied up. On the other hand, I know how I'm going to reveal who Shadow Fox is, but it's not time to do so yet. So, in the meantime, I plan on writing non-Shadow Fox related crimes. If you have any ideas for cases that Beckett and Castle should investigate, let me know. You can give me a complete overview of the case, or just the crime scene and victim information. I'm open to any questions, comments, suggestions, and donations ;-) that you might have. I look forward to seeing your ideas! Thanks for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I'm starting to think that the cause of my writer's block was that I wasn't moving through time very quickly. So, I've decided to start this chapter a month after the last one left off. This chapter begins with Maxwell Robinson's trial.**

**Now for a quick recap. Maxwell Robinson was the junior partner at the law firm Bretz and Coven, and was the mastermind behind the financial scam there. Working for him were Brian Watson, Jason Caldwell, and Angela Crawford, who were all killed by an assassin known as the Shadow Fox. Alexandra "Alex" Stevens works for Hardy and Drew Investigations, and was investigating the scam under the alias Jessica Gardner. She was the daughter of Scott Murray, one of Rathborne's victims. She was attacked by the Shadow Fox, but survived. Now for the Castle characters: Beckett and Castle are together, Alexis is at Stanford, Martha has moved into her own place, Ryan and Jenny are married, and Esposito and Lanie are engaged. Everything clear? Good! Let's get to the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. Just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Beckett and Castle entered the courthouse half an hour before the trial was scheduled to begin. They checked their coats before proceeding to a third floor courtroom, where Maxwell Robinson's trial was scheduled to begin.

Castle was confused. "I'm still trying to figure it out. If Robinson confessed, why is he going on trial? Do all confessions end up with a trial and I only know about the ones where you are called on to testify?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. _I have to explain this again?_ "Castle, his lawyer convinced him that with the special circumstances removed, he can try to get a shorter sentence by going to trial. The thing is, because Robinson decided to go to trial, the D.A. put the special circumstances back on. If he gets convicted, he'll get the needle."

Castle looked incredulous. "If?"

"Okay, when. We gathered enough evidence to convict him. That must be the prosecuting attorney." Beckett had just caught sight of a woman in a tailored power suit with her hair pulled up standing outside the courtroom. "Councelor."

The woman turned around and smiled. "If I ever decide to change careers, I may just become one."

Castle glanced at her appreciatively. "Wow. You clean up nice."

Beckett embraced her, stunned. "Alex, I didn't expect to see you here."

Alex shrugged. "Well, with Angela, Brian, and Jason dead, I'm the only other person that has enough dirt on Robinson to get him convicted. So, here I am. I'm just waiting for him to be brought in."

Just then, Robinson, his lawyer, and a couple prison guards rounded the corner. Robinson had been allowed to wear a suit instead his prison jumper for the trial. He caught sight of Alex and glared at her with a look that clearly displayed how much he hated her. Alex calmly watched as he entered the courtroom, then sighed.

Alex turned to look at Beckett. "I hear that because he is going to trial, the D.A. reinstated the death penalty as a possible sentence." Beckett nodded. "Is he aware of that?"

Beckett shrugged. "Well, I'm sure the D.A. will approach them with a deal at the first recess. Until then, we do our duty."

* * *

Opening arguments had taken most of the morning. Alex was hoping for a break when she was called to the stand. The bailiff swore her in and she took her seat. Strappfield, Robinson's lawyer, was the first to cross examine her.

He approached the witness stand with confidence. "Is your name Jessica Gardner?"

Alex returned his confidence with calm assurance. "No."

Strappfield wanted to undercut Alex's credibility as a witness. "Did you gain employment at Bretz and Coven, LLP under the name Jessica Gardner?"

"No." Alex's answer drew a couple murmurs from the jury and gallery.

Strappfield turned to look at the jury. "Are you sure? Because that's the name my client knows you as, and it is the name on the account that your paycheck was sent to. From where I'm standing, that is the name under which you gained employment at Bretz and Coven."

Alex wasn't about to be provoked. "My name is Alexandra Stevens and I work for Hardy and Drew Investigations. Mr. Clarence Fishbourne, the senior partner for the firm, hired my company to investigate the possible existence of a fraud ring within his firm. I was assigned to be the investigator; Jessica Gardner was a false identity that was created to protect my true identity. I was hired by Mr. Fishbourne under my real name, and was then assigned a false one."

Strappfield turned back to Alex. "And why would you need a false identity?"

Alex smiled slightly. "When I was working in Chicago, I used my own name. An employee at a company I was investigating realized what I was doing and attacked me. I have used false identities ever since as a precaution."

Now it was time to dispute the evidence from Alex's investigation. "During your investigation, was my client ever a suspect?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, I had my suspicions, but I wasn't able to find sufficient proof."

Strappfield returned his gaze to the jury. "So you have no proof that says my client was involved?"

Alex tilted her head slightly. "I said I never found any, not that there wasn't any."

Strappfield glanced back at Alex. "And what's the difference?"

Alex began to lay out the evidence. "Angela Crawford recorded conversations that she and Mr. Robinson had concerning the scam. She gave them to me, and I gave them to the police. She also collected documents…"

Strappfield interrupted. "You are not answering my question."

Alex sighed and launched into her explanation. "The difference is that I was not the one who collected the evidence that proves Maxwell Robinson was involved with the scam. Angela Crawford and the police gathered that evidence. I had gathered enough evidence to prove that Brian Watson, Jason Caldwell, and a dozen others were involved. I had also gathered enough evidence to prove that the scam went higher than those I had identified. If I had more time, I would have gathered sufficient proof."

Strappfield realized that Alex knew more than he previously thought and began to grasp at straws. "But isn't it true that you were also involved in the scam?"

Alex shook her head. "No, it is not."

"So you never accepted bribe money from my client or his alleged associates?" Strappfield emphasized the word alleged to distance Robinson from the scam.

Alex responded coldly. "I don't accept bribes. It would be a breach of policy, and I don't play dirty."

Strappfield suddenly changed tactics. "You were dating Brian Watson for a while, is that correct?"

Alex was confused. "Yes."

Strappfield pounced. "So why should we believe that you were not involved with the scam?"

Alex returned to a calm demeanor. "At Bretz and Coven, I was an Accounts Supervisor. I was receiving documents from some accountants that appeared to be altered. Brian was one of those accountants. I started dating him to gain access to the original copies of the documents he was giving me."

Strappfield tried to catch her off guard again. "Were you sleeping with him?"

Alex was confused again. "I don't see how that is pertinent to this trial."

Strappfield held up one hand. "Just answer the question."

Alex's response was almost defiant. "No. I was not sleeping with him."

Strappfield shrugged and held up his hands. "Why not?"

The District Attorney stood up. "Objection. Relevance?"

Judge Markaway nodded toward the D.A. "Sustained."

Strappfield sat down. "She's all yours."

The District Attorney stood up and approached the witness stand. "Hello Alex. It's good to see you again."

Alex smiled. "Nice to see you again, Counselor."

Cyrus Vance, the D.A., started to slowly pace in front of the jury stand. "I'd like to start with two of the reasons Mr. Robinson is on trial; First degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Alex, if you would, I would like you to show the members of this jury the injures you sustained when an assassin known as the Shadow Fox attacked you."

Alex shrugged out of her tailored blazer and unbuttoned the sleeves of her Oxford blouse before rolling up her sleeves and displaying the scars left behind from the defensive wounds she had sustained a month earlier. A camera that was displaying her image onto a large screen helped to show the jury and audience what would have been too difficult to see otherwise. There were several gasps from the jury and the gallery and several members of the jury looked appalled. Alex quickly unrolled her sleeves and pulled her blazer back on and the Judge banged his gavel for order. Her calm demeanor never wavered, but Beckett noticed that the fear and pain wasn't gone from her eyes yet.

Vance nodded his thanks while she put her jacket back on. "Thank you, Alex. Now, I noticed a long scar that runs from your wrist to your elbow on your right arm. Was that sustained during your assault?"

Alex shook her head. "No, that was from the incident in Chicago."

Vance stopped pacing for a moment. "Let's turn to the financial scam itself. How was that run?"

Alex sat up straighter. She was in her element now. "Well, it is a variation of what the FBI call White Collar Corporate Fraud. A client comes to the offices to talk about a claim. They are given a price to pay to receive our companies help. The account they pay the money to looks like it is for the company, but is just a dummy account set up to skim a certain amount of money from the client before their payment is deposited into the real company account. The paperwork that the client signed is then doctored to hide the amount skimmed off the top and the scammers get away with a nice percentage."

Vance turned toward Alex. "How did Mr. Fishbourne become aware of the scam?"

Alex started to gesture with her hands as she talked. "He was getting complaints from clients. Let's say Client A would come in and pay $400 for a notarization on a will. They would then tell their friends about the great service they got from Bretz and Coven. The friend, Client B, would come in to get their will notarized, but they would be charged $500. Later Client A would ask Client B if they liked the service. Client B would tell Client A that it was a little higher than they were expecting to pay; Client A would ask what they were charged. That conversation would reveal that Client B was charged an extra hundred dollars for a notarization. So they would call and complain. Mr. Fishbourne would have the records pulled, but it would show that Client B was charged the same amount that Client A was charged."

Vance turned toward the jury and then back to Alex. "Which would make people very unhappy. How did you catch it?"

"As I said earlier, in my position, I received documents from various accountants. From my previous experience with similar cases, these documents, which were just copies of the originals, looked doctored. I needed to see the original copies to make sure."

Vance nodded and faced the jury again. "Which is when you started a relationship with one of the employees you suspected was in on the scam. What happened to the original documents?"

Alex shrugged. "Usually they were destroyed. I did make several photocopies of various original documents as proof of the scam though."

Vance turned back to Alex. "And what happened with that evidence?"

Alex glanced at Beckett. "I turned it all over to the police."

"Thank you Alex. No further questions, your Honor." Alex left the witness stand. Vance turned toward Judge Markaway. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm a little hungry. Otherwise, I'd love to move on to our next witness."

Markaway grinned. "I agree, Counselor. Court is in recess until 2:30." He banged his gavel and everyone stood up.

Counselor Vance moved across the aisle and spoke to Strappfield. "Strappfield, you are going to lose. Why is your client risking is life on a trial where he can't possibly hope to come out on top?"

Robinson stood up. "What do you mean 'risking my life'? Strappfield, what is he talking about? I thought the death penalty had been taken off the table?"

The D.A. turned to Robinson. "That was as long as you took the plea and went to jail. But you decided to fight the charges, which means you are eligible for the needle, my friend. Now, I am willing to offer you a deal. Take the life without parole and let's end this suit now. Otherwise, I wish you luck. Think about it. You have until 2:15."

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this chapter was hard to write. It started off okay, but then the prosecution got involved (Vance was really the current D.A. for Manhattan when I wrote this, by the way) and it was harder to write. I was trying to find the name for the scam, but apparently there isn't a name like a Ponzi or Pyramid Scheme. The FBI's website refers to it as White Collar Corporate Fraud, so I guess that is what it's called. Not as catchy as Ponzi scheme…**

**I promise that we will be done with Robinson in the next chapter. Then we get to move on with other stuff. Any suggestions? If not, I'll figure something out, but I would love to hear what you guys want to see. We'll see more from the Shadow Fox too...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank phnxgrl for both of her reviews. I love that you're still reading this. To my other readers, please review. I love hearing what you guys have to say, and constructive criticism is important (it helps me know what works and what doesn't).**

**Now, on to the chapter. ****There are a lot of misspellings in this chapter, but that is on purpose. You'll understand when you get there. Anyway, I'm glad that I seem to have found my writing grove again (fingers crossed, knock on wood). Hoping that lasts. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, or the characters (with the exception of maybe Alex). I'm just borrowing them for a while.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Beckett, Castle, and Alex were waiting outside the courthouse while Robinson met with the District Attorney. At 2:25, D.A. Vance came over to the group and informed them that Robinson had taken the deal; life in prison, no chance for parole. In a few minutes, he would be on his way back to Rikers. The only concession that Vance had made was the Robinson would not have to share his cell. Alex relaxed and they all shook the D.A.'s hand before he left to get started on prepping for another case. Beckett had just congratulated Alex when her phone rang.

"Beckett. Okay, I'm on my way." She hung up the phone. "That was Perlmutter. We've got a body."

Alex looked up from her own phone. "Hey, can I come?"

Beckett turned back to Alex. "Why?"

Alex held up her phone. "That was a co-worker of mine. He said that Robinson was on his way out, and I'd really rather not see him again. We all know what he's like when he's angry."

Beckett smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

* * *

Beckett pulled up to the address Perlmutter had given her; it was a Single Room Occupancy. They got out and met Esposito and Ryan, who had pulled up a minute earlier. The group went up to the third floor unit, ducked under the tape, and went to work. The victim was on the floor of the kitchen with a knife sticking out of her back.

Beckett squatted down next to the M.E. "What do we have, Perlmutter?"

Perlmutter rattled off the info without bothering to look at his notes. "Victim is a white female, late 30's. Preliminary cause of death is being stabbed in the back with a long kitchen knife. I'd put time of death at no more than two hours ago. The man sitting over there was the one who found her, but no one knows what language he's speaking. It sounds like English, but Officer Whojamiface over there can't understand him."

Beckett rolled her eyes. _He never bothers to find out the beat cop's names._ "Hey Alex, you want to talk to that guy? Find out what he knows?"

Alex pointed to herself. "Um, are you sure? I'm not exactly a cop."

Beckett stood up. "That's okay, you're a private investigator of sorts. You'll do fine."

"Okay." Alex walked over to the man sitting in the living room. "Hi, my name is Alex. What's yours?"

The man glanced up. It looked like he had been crying. "I'm Freddy. That's me trouble and strife, Molly. I were only gone for ca and calf an 'our; now she's brahn bread. Why is she brahn bread?" He put his head back down and sobbed.

Alex looked confused and went back over to Beckett. "Okay, I didn't get much from him. His name is Freddy and he said her name is Molly. But I think I know why no one understands him. He speaks full-blown Cockney."

Esposito was confused. "Cockney?"

Alex turned to Castle. "It's a dialect of English that originated in Cheapside, London. Some consider it to be its own language."

Castle was curious now. "And how do you know this?"

Alex began talking with a British accent. "Between Chicago and here, I spent a couple months with Hardy and Drew's sister company, Holmes and Watson Investigations, across the pond."

Castle noticed the connection. "As in…"

Alex interrupted in her normal voice. "Sherlock Holmes and John Watson? Yeah. Anyway, it's a pretty common dialect in London. In fact, rumor has it that the term 'cop' has Cockney origins. The story goes that the Cockney dialect was developed by thieves and criminals so that they could talk about what they do in front of the police and the police would have no idea what they were talking about. Around that same time, the police officers wore copper badges. So the Cockney's would call the police 'coppers'. The police thought that they were talking about a coin, because back then, there were copper coins called coppers too. Eventually the term was shortened to cop."

Castle was impressed with Alex's knowledge. "Are you saying he's a criminal because he speaks with a certain dialect?"

Alex smirked. "No, I said it originated with criminals. Now, anyone that was born and raised within hearing distance of the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow, and speaks with that particular dialect, is considered a Cockney."

Esposito looked confused. "St. Mary-le-Bow? Where is that?"

Alex smiled. "Most people call it Big Ben. In actuality, Big Ben is just the biggest bell of the tower. St. Mary-le-Bow is the church itself."

Beckett rolled her eyes. _I really don't need a history lesson right now._ "So, can you talk to him?"

Alex shook her head. "He understands us, but he speaks Cockney. I don't know enough Cockney to translate for you. But he said that this woman was his trouble and strife, so I think this was his wife."

Castle was confused by the term. "Trouble and strife?"

Alex quickly explained. "I would guess it's the Cockney equivalent of ball and chain. Cockney is a language made up of rhyming slang. Trouble and strife rhymes with wife, so trouble and strife would most likely mean wife."

Beckett jumped in to redirect the conversation. "So what are you saying?"

Alex turned to Beckett and used her British accent again. "Unless Detective Ryan or Detective Esposito here speak Cockney, you're in Barney." Beckett just looked confused. "Sorry, Barney stands for Barney Rouble, which is Cockney for trouble."

Beckett rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

* * *

Beckett emerged from the Interrogation Room after just ten minutes. Castle and Alex had been watching from the Observation Room. Beckett joined them and just stared at Fredrick Evans. Esposito had found out that Fredrick and Molly Evans had emigrated from the UK two months ago. Molly had been a waitress at Finn's Irish Pub, an establishment that was run by Finn Rourke and popular hangout for the Westies. Freddy was a delivery man for a local grocery store. They were both originally from Cheapside in London, where they had been born and raised.

Beckett groaned. "I don't understand what he is saying. How can I get any information from him if he won't speak English?"

Castle shrugged. "To him, this is English. We are the ones that don't make sense to him."

Beckett turned to Castle. "Except he does understand us."

Alex cut in to break up the argument. "I'm telling you, Beckett, you need to find a translator."

Beckett rewound the recording of the interrogation. "Why don't you tell me what this means."

She pushed play. "I 'ave told yer. I were gone for 'alf an 'our. Yer can't 'ave a knees-up wivout a joanna. I went to the bloody noah's ark ter get a oily rag. Me trouble and strife finks I quit, but sometimes I cop cravin' that I can' ignore. So I went ter the chuffin' noah's ark ter get a salmon wiv a mucker. Wen I come 'ammer and tack, me ole lady were on the rory of the scullery, with a drum and fife stickin' out of 'er back."

Beckett stopped the tape and turned to Alex. "What does that mean?"

Alex looked thoughtful, then summarized what she understood. "He said he was gone for half an hour. His wife thought he had quit something that he still gets cravings for and when he came back, his wife had a knife in her back."

Beckett put one hand on her hip and turned to Alex. "That's it?"

Alex turned to Beckett. "Kate, I told you, I only understand a little Cockney. I can't translate everything. You have to find someone who can."

Beckett left the Observation Room and headed for her desk. Castle and Alex followed. Esposito flagged her down halfway there. Castle and Alex joined them at his desk.

Esposito hung up his phone. "I called Scotland Yard to see if they had anyone willing to do a web chat with our suspect. Told them we had a guy in custody that wouldn't speak anything but Cockney and that we were having trouble understanding what he was saying. They said they actually had a guy who understood Cockney who was on vacation here in New York. They gave me his contact info."

Beckett was impatient. "And?"

Esposito handed Beckett the note. "I called him up and he is staying only two blocks from here. Said he was on his way. Should be here any moment."

The elevator bell sounded a couple seconds later and a man stepped off. He looked around until he saw Esposito wave him over.

Alex looked up and recognized who the man was. "Inspector Hinckler? Oh my gosh! What are you doing here?"

The man smiled and spoke in a distinctly British accent. "I was on vacation and the police said they needed my help. What are you doing here? I thought you worked for Holmes and Watson."

Alex shook her head. "No, I was only there for a couple months. How is your wife doing? Julie, right? I know she was ill last time we spoke."

Hinkler smiled. "She's cancer free, at least for now. She's back at the hotel right now. You should come over and say hello."

Alex smiled. "I'd love to. Oh, your daughter, Hermione. How is she doing?"

Hinkler pulled out a photo. "Just started secondary school and loving it."

Alex studied the crest on the girl's uniform. "Which one is she going to?"

Hinkler put the photo away. "St. Leonards-Mayfield School in Mayfield, East Sussex. It's an all girls catholic school, and she thinks it's great. But, enough about me. Who are these lovely people?"

Alex made the introductions, pointing to everyone in turn. "This is Detective Beckett, Detective Ryan, Detective Esposito, and Richard Castle."

Hinkler shook everyone's hand and paused when he got to Castle. "The novelist. I must say, I was disappointed when you killed off Derrick Storm, but I'm finding Nikki Heat is just as wonderful a read. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Inspector Carlisle Hinkler with Scotland Yard. Where is the Cockney fellow? I'd like to get this over with and go back to my vacation."

Beckett gestured toward I1. "He's over in there. I'd normally say that I'm taking point, but I don't understand half of the things he says, so you can take the lead."

Hinkler followed her to the interrogation room. "Does he understand the questions you ask?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes, at least, he seems to."

Hinkler nodded and shrugged out of his overcoat. "Then you can ask the questions, and I'll provide the translations."

Beckett paused before opening the door. "Sounds good to me. Let's go." She entered the room and took a seat. "I'm sorry about the wait, Mr. Evans. We had to find someone that understood your dialect."

Freddy looked up. "Not a problem, love. Please tell me that yer found ou' 'oo killed me ole lady too."

Hinkler sat down as Beckett opened her folder. "That's why we are here, Mr. Evans. Where were you between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. today?"

Freddy sat back in his chair. "I got off Captain Kirk around twelve o'clock. I went pope in rome and then called me mate, Kevin. 'e were 'eaded ter the plimsoll mark ter 'ave a salmon and trout and asked if I would like ter join 'im. So I met 'im dahn there and we 'ad a couple. We went on fer a wile. I'll ge' out me spoons. Then I went 'ome."

Hinkler turned to Beckett. "He said, 'I got off work around twelve o'clock. I went home and called a friend. He was going to the park to have a smoke and wanted him to come along. They met there, had a smoke and talked. Then he went home.'"

Beckett picked up her pen. "What time did you go to the park?"

"About 12:30."

Beckett wrote 12:30 down. "Who did you meet?"

Freddy watched Beckett as she wrote. "Kevin Yeoman. We boff come across the pond togeffer. 'e were me mae west geeza at me weddin'."

Hinkler laced his fingers together on top of the table. "He said 'they came over from England together. Yeoman was the best man at his wedding.'"

Beckett nodded. "Where in the park did you meet?"

Freddy leaned on the table. "Near the Ballplayer's gaff. We liked ter kettle and hob the bleedin' nearby games."

Beckett didn't need a translation for that one. "The Ballplayer's House café?"

Freddy slapped the table. "That's the bloody wahn. Sat on a judy dench and watched."

Beckett guessed that 'judy dench' meant bench and continued. "And when did you get back home?"

Freddy put his head in his hands. "Abaht bo-le of glue. I bear's paw the chuffin' claret on the bloomin' cabinets, so I ran over ter clock wot had 'appened. There she was, father ted. I called the coppers for 'elp. Yer got there not an' all long after that."

Beckett turned to Hinkler and he quickly translated. "He said 'About 2. I saw the blood on the cabinets, so I ran over to see what had happened. There she was, dead. I called the police for help. You got there not too long after that.'"

Beckett wrote down a couple notes. "Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt your wife?"

Freddy became angry. "She were the golden dove of me life. I would never 'urt 'er!"

Beckett jumped right back in. "Your wife worked at Finn's Irish Pub in Hell's Kitchen. Its run by Finn Rourke, the leader of the Westies. Was there anyone at her job that might have wanted to harm your wife?"

Freddy sat back and shrugged. "She didn't rabbit and pork about kathy burke much, but she seemed ter like it there. Almost reminded 'er of 'ome. Except they were Irish, right, not English."

Hinkler started to translate. "She didn't talk about work much…"

Beckett cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Thank you, Mr. Evans. We'll talk again."

* * *

**A/N: Just in case you were wondering, no, I do not speak or understand Cockney. I had to use three different websites to translate Freddy's stuff, so it probably isn't accurate at all. The true history of the language is unknown because there are no written records about the cockney language. So the history that Alex talks about is only one version, just like how the term cop came to mean police officer. Any questions, comments, suggestions? I know where this mini case is going, but I would love to hear about any other case ideas that you guys want to see.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Thanks to phnxgrl for her review. This chapter is a little short, but it moves the case along fairly well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, or the characters. I'd love to, but I don't.**

* * *

Chapter 13

Beckett sat at her desk and stared at the board. Freddy's alibi had checked out; cameras at the Ballplayer's House Cafe in Central Park had him sitting on a bench out front smoking and talking to the man next to him. Inspector Hinkler had called Freddy's friend, Kevin Yeoman, and confirmed the story. Castle had been called into his publishers by his ex-wife Gina, and the boys were combing through the Evans' financials. Alex had left with Inspector Hinkler; they had been talking about Alex's latest case all afternoon, and had moved on to catching up when they boarded the elevator to leave. Beckett smiled at the memory; Hinkler was almost like a father figure to Alex. Beckett took a moment to think about her own father and make a mental note to give him a call before she shook herself and went back to the board.

It was time to look at the hard facts. Molly had worked for Finn Rourke. She may not have Irish Mafia ties, but it was possible that Molly's death had something to do with them. Beckett wrote a note to talk to Rourke in the morning and requested a surveillance detail to follow Rourke in the meantime. She then turned to the crime scene photos. There was a picture of blood drops on a table in the living room. Beckett looked closely at the table. There was a light layer of dust, but the thing that drew Beckett's attention was a void in the dust. Something had been on the table, but wasn't there now. Beckett wrote another note to check into it before she shut down her computer and turned off her desk light. She bid the boys goodnight and headed for the elevator. Just as she took out her phone to call Castle, the doors opened.

Castle stepped out of the elevator. "You will be happy to know that I just saved the day. I was able to avoid a catastrophe in the editing department." He caught sight of the smirk on Beckett's face. "What?"

Beckett shook her head. "Nothing. I just find it funny that fixing grammatical errors can be considered saving the world."

Castle followed Beckett back into the elevator. "I said that I saved the day. And it wasn't grammar errors that I was fixing. I had a character in two places at once."

Beckett shook her head again. "And you didn't catch it on one of your many rewrites?"

Castle shrugged. "I speed read. Sometimes I miss things. So, how is the case coming?"

Beckett gave the condensed version. "Freddy Evans is in the clear. We have him on camera in Central Park at the time of the murder. A neighbor also confirmed that Molly was alive after Freddy appears on camera, so we know it wasn't him. On the other hand, the victim, Molly Evans, works at Finn Rourke's pub. I'm going to talk to Rourke in the morning."

Castle's interest perked up. "Do you think his mafia had something to do with it?"

Beckett shrugged and stepped off the elevator. "It's a possibility. But it could also be a home invasion gone wrong. There is a photo of a table with some blood on it, and it looks like something might be missing from the table. I'll ask Freddy about it tomorrow."

* * *

A couple hours later, Kate and Rick lay in bed, listening to the other's breathing and heart rate slow down. Rick was lazily tracing the scar on Kate's chest. _Thank heavens that the sniper had missed her heart._He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he had lost the woman he was holding in his arms. Kate's eyes were closed; she was just enjoying how wonderful his light touch felt. It was soothing and she found herself slowly drifting off to sleep. Rick noticed that Kate was starting to fall asleep when her breathing began to slow, and he cleared his throat to wake her back up. She stirred lazily and her eyes slowly focused on his. She was puzzled and a little annoyed.

Rick spoke when he knew he had her attention. "Kate, I don't want to live without you. I can't live without you."

Kate started to sit up. "Rick..."

Rick sat up with her and interrupted her. "Kate, please let me finish. I know that I'm not perfect and that my reputation doesn't inspire much confidence, but you are my one and done. I know I've been married before, but that doesn't matter to me. You are my one and done and I'm hoping that I can be yours." He reached into his nightstand and extracted a small box. Kate had tears in her eyes when he turned back to her. "I've had this for a little while, and was just waiting for the right moment. So here goes. Kathrine Johanna Beckett, I love you more than life itself. Will you marry me?"

With the last four words, he opened the box and showed her a beautiful diamond ring. Kate was speechless, so she just nodded. Rick's face broke into a dazzling smile and he pulled her into a crushing embrace.

Kate finally found her voice, pulled away from Rick, and whispered, "Yes."

* * *

Kate woke surrounded by Rick's arms. She smiled as she held up her left hand and gazed at her ring. _I'm getting married. _She couldn't believe it. She carefully extracted herself from Rick's embrace to get ready for her day. She was combing out her damp hair after her shower when Rick came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Kate smiled. "Morning."

Rick rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at her in the mirror. "Good morning, Mrs. Castle."

Kate swatted his cheek with her left hand. "Not yet, buster. Get dressed, we have people to interrogate."

Rick looked at her left hand. Kate had taken the ring off when she took her shower, but hadn't put it back on when she got out. Rick noticed that the ring wasn't there and looked troubled. Kate noticed the expression and turned around to face him.

"I'd like to keep our engagement a secret for a little while." She looked up into his eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. "Please promise me. It's just to avoid the media; you know how much I hate the way they invade everyone's privacy. We don't have to keep it from the team, but I just want to keep it private for a while."

Rick eyes softened and he pulled her into a hug. "I promise."

* * *

Beckett and Castle entered the bullpen and were greeted by Ryan. "The surveillance detail you put on Rourke last night reported in. He is at his pub as of twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks Ryan." She grabbed a file and glanced toward Esposito's desk. "Where's Esposito?"

Ryan held up a note. "He's on his way in. He wanted to take Lanie out for breakfast. I think he said something about their anniversary."

Castle looked at Beckett for confirmation. "They have been engaged for a year, haven't they?"

Beckett nodded. "Well, when he comes in, I want you guys to talk to Freddy."

Ryan looked confused. "I thought he was cleared."

Beckett pulled the photo of the table off the board and handed it to Ryan. "He is. But I noticed that there is a void in the dust on the table in this photo. I want you to take him back to the crime scene to see if anything is missing. How are the financials coming?"

Ryan sat down at his desk. "They look clean. No unusual payments or deposits. Do you still want us to look at their phone records?"

Beckett headed for the elevator with Castle on her heels. "Might as well. Keep me posted."

* * *

Beckett pulled up outside Rourke's pub and parked the car. Castle got out and hurried to open her door, but Beckett was already out when he got there. She glared at him and he quickly gave her an apologetic look. He knew that when they were at work, he was not to be the romantic he wanted to be. Beckett quickly checked her clearance to her gun, and they both went inside. It hadn't changed since the last time they had been there, except that Jackie Coonan's coffin was no longer on the pool table. Rourke was easy to find. He was yelling at a couple of bus boys that couldn't possibly be old enough to drink and when he saw them, he just yelled that the bar wasn't open yet.

Beckett held up her badge. "Remember me?"

Rourke turned to look at them. "If it isn't the detective an' the pretty boy. I thought I towl you to git the 'ell out of my place. 'asn't Jackie been through enough?"

Beckett clipped her badge to her belt. "Mr. Rouke, I'm not here about Jack Coonan. I'm here about Molly Evans. She works here, doesn't she?"

Rourke looked confused. "Who?"

Beckett held up the autosy photo. Rourke's face fell and he quickly sent the bus boys to the back to clean something. He then beckoned Detective Beckett and Castle over to a table.

Rourke sat down and stared at the photo. "She was supposed to be here an 'our ago. I guess now I know why she didn't show. Who did this ter 'er?"

Beckett put the photo away. "That's what we're trying to find out. Mr. Rourke, did Molly have any customers that might have been upset with her?"

Rourke shook his head. "Naw, everyone loved 'er. Well, there was one guy that 'ad a beef wi' her, but I 'eard he died jaywalking about a month ago. Name of Miles. Jared Miles."

Beckett wrote down the name. "What about her fellow employees?"

Rourke became defensive. "Like I said, everyone loved her. The Miles guy was vexed that she didn't git drinks to him fast enough. Nobody on my staff would 'ave 'urt her."

Beckett looked into Rourke's eyes. "Where were you yesterday, between 12 and 2 in the afternoon, Mr. Rourke?"

Rourke stood up. "I was 'ere. An' if you come back durin' those 'ours today, I'm sure you'll find several people who can attest to that. So if that is all, I'll ask you to leave now."

Beckett and Castle stood up and left. Beckett had pulled their car into the street before Castle spoke. "Was it just me, or did it seem like he was hiding something?"

Beckett shrugged. "He's Finn Rourke. He's always hiding something. If he did it, he's not going to just tell us." Her phone began to ring. "Beckett."

Esposito was on the other end. "_Beckett, we just talked to Freddy. We think we've found something."_

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I did it. Beckett and Castle are engaged. I was actually planning to do that later in the story, but it just seemed right to put it in here. What do you think? Let me know. I love getting feedback.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update this weekend. It was a busy one. Here's the next chapter. Beware, Freddy's back. And a couple other Castle characters show up as well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Castle, or the characters. I'd love to, but I don't.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Beckett and Castle pulled up in front of Freddy Evans' apartment and parked the car. Castle was out of the car first and fell into step with Beckett as they entered the building.

Castle waited until the elevator doors closed before he spoke. "Hey, about our engagement..."

Beckett's brow furrowed as she interrupted him. "Not now, Castle."

Castle continued anyway. "I was just going to ask when you wanted to tell the team."

Beckett's expression cleared. _I thought he was going to push me into wearing the ring. _"Oh. Let's wait until after this case is solved. I don't want anyone to be distracted."

Castle nodded as the doors opened. "That's what I was thinking. I just wanted to make sure. Okay, I won't say anthing."

Esposito was waiting for them outside Freddy's apartment. He nodded when they got near and informed them that Freddy had been going through the entire apartment to see if anything was missing. As they entered the living room, Freddy, Ryan, and Inspector Hinkler emerged from the bedroom.

Freddy shook his head. "Jus' the bloody vase and me ole lady's tom foolery. We didn't right 'ave anyfink ter chore. The chuffin' vase were the only fin' that was valuable. It is an antique. It is a few centuries old and belonged ter me family. Me family's crest is on it."

Beckett turned to Inspector Hinkler and he quickly translated Freddy's statement. "'Just the vase and his wife's jewelry. They didn't have anything to steal. The vase was the only thing that was valuable. It is an antique. It is a few centuries old and belonged to his family. The vase had his family's crest on it.'"

Beckett took out her notepad. "What did the vase look like?"

Freddy walked over to a shelf and took down a photograph. "It's wite there. We took this two monffes ago." His eyes teared up. "If only I 'adn't 'ad that cravin'. I would 'ave been 'ere. She wouldn't be gone."

Beckett shook her head at Inspector Hinkler when he opened his mouth to speak, handed the photograph to Castle, and put a hand on Freddy's shoulder. "Freddy, listen to me. This is not your fault. If you had been here, you might be dead too. The fault lies with the person who did this. And I promise that we will find out who that person is. You have my word."

Freddy nodded. "Thank ya, Inspector. I trust yer, I know ya will come frough."

Beckett shook Freddy's hand and she and Castle headed back to the car.

* * *

Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct to find Demming waiting by Beckett's desk. Castle's immediate response would normally be to glower at him, but he settled for a cold, yet cordial, nod of his head and continued to the break room.

Beckett wasn't so forgiving. "What are you doing here, Demming?"

Demming wasn't that easily rattled. "I heard that the Evan's case might have a robbery angle and I thought I'd offer to help on that front."

Beckett was annoyed, but she played it cool. "I guess you could help. The item that was stolen was an antique pewter vase with the victim's family crest on it. You can see it in this photo. I'll send a copy your way. Maybe you can find out if someone has fenced an item like this in the last 24 – 48 hours."

"I'll put my feelers out on the street; kick up a little dust." Demming then smiled that crooked smile that Beckett used to find so charming. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get a coffee with me sometime. You know, maybe start over."

Beckett picked up her phone as Castle returned with two espressos. "Demming, I'm with Castle now." She dialed a number. "Detective Shrebnor, what's Rourke up to? Uh-huh. Well, keep an eye on him, I want to talk to him again." Demming was still standing by Beckett's desk and looking appraisingly in Castle's direction. "Tom, I'm not interested. I've moved on. It's time you did too. Castle, let's go talk to Rourke again."

* * *

Beckett broke the silence of the car. "Thanks."

Castle looked over at Beckett. "For what?"

Beckett glanced at Castle and returned he eyes to the road. "For not rubbing our relationship in Demming's face."

"No problem." Castle smirked before speaking again. "Although, you did a pretty good job of that yourself."

Beckett looked confused. "What?"

"'I've moved on, it's time you did too?' Oh, come on. That's one of the biggest 'In your face' things you can say."

Beckett became irritated. "Castle, Demming and I broke up four years ago. If he still wants to 'start over,' he needs to be told to move on."

Castle smirked and looked out his window. "I'm just saying, it was rubbing it in a little."

Beckett smiled, but kept her voice under control. "Fine. And you have to admit, he did deserve it for even trying."

* * *

Beckett and Castle pulled up outside Rourke's pub to find Rourke leaving. Beckett got out of the car to intercept him, but Castle stayed in the car to make a phone call. When Rourke saw the detective, he changed directions and came to meet her.

"You come with news, I hope?" Rourke said before he stopped a couple of feet from Beckett.

Beckett pulled out the photograph. "I was wondering if you had ever seen this."

Rourke shrugged. "If I have, I don't remember. What does this have to do with Molly's death?"

Beckett realized Rourke was referring to the photo and quickly pointed at the vase. "I was actually asking if you had ever seen the vase in this picture."

Rourke squinted at the picture. "No, I haven't. But it is a beautiful example of history. Molly and 'er husband are obviously proud of their heritage."

Beckett tucked the photo back into her folder. "Whoever killed Molly may have taken the vase as well. Do you know someone that might have known that Molly had it?"

Rourke shook his head. "No. I didn't even know she had an item like that. And I know all my employees very well."

Beckett handed him her card. "Thank you for your time. If you hear anything, please let me know."

* * *

Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct to find Esposito waiting for them. "Yo, Beckett. An updated forensics report just came in. They were able to match a partial print, and DNA from a hair sample."

Ryan gave them the rundown. "The hair belongs to Daniel Bonnet, and the print belongs to his son, Richard Bonnet. They came over from France in the early '70's when the son was only five. Daniel has been arrested on multiple misdomeaners and a couple of felonies. Richard followed in his father's footsteps and spent a nickel upstate for A&B. And they are both suspects in an ongoing B&E investigation in the 3rd precinct. I called them and they're sending someone over with the casefile."

Castle's phone rang. "Castle. Oh, Powell. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. You want to talk to Detective Beckett. Of course, here she is." He held out his phone to Beckett. "It's for you."

Beckett took the phone. "Beckett."

From the other end, Beckett heard the strange mixed European accent. "Detective, a pleasure. Richard called and asked me to keep my eyes on the lookout for an antique pewter vase with a family crest on it. Well, it just so happens that a man approached me and offered to sell me a vase that seems to match that description. As you may know, I deal with antiques. He didn't have the vase on him, so I asked him to bring it in so that I would be able to examine it. Perhaps you would like to join me when he returns?"

Beckett glanced at her watch. "When will that be?"

Powell answered without missing a beat. "He said he would return in two hours."

"I'm on my way." Beckett hung up the phone.

Demming stepped out of the elevator. "I put some feelers out, but I don't have any leads yet. I'll keep looking though. You got anything?"

Beckett barely acknowledged Demming. "Thanks Demming. Esposito, get a team to Powell's antiques shop. Have them set up a perimeter, but tell them to be invisible until after the seller enters the shop. Ryan, get warrants for the Bonnet father/son duo. If Powell's turns out to be a bust, I want them in our custody by tonight at the latest." Beckett and Castle hurried to catch the elevator as the boys jumped into action.

* * *

Ten minutes before the seller was meant to arrive, Beckett and a team of cops were putting the finishing touches on the sting operation. Two hidden cameras were in place in the showroom, Powell had been fitted with a button camera and a wire, undercover cops were in place on the street, and Beckett was giving final instructions to the team and Powell.

"I want all units to be virtually invisible. Act as though you belong, like nothing is out of the ordinary. Whatever you do, do not stand out. The last thing we want is to spook this guy. And don't use your radios." Beckett turned to Powell. "Act like this is a normal acquisition. But make sure that we can see the vase. I want to be sure that the vase is the one we're looking for before we jump in. Got it?"

Powell gave a small bow. "Of course, Detective. I just hope that this operation will remain discreet. I don't want my establishment's reputation to become tainted."

Beckett glanced at her watch. "Five minutes. Everyone, get in position. Remember, radio silence until the vase is in Powell's shop. Good luck Powell."

Beckett and the rest of the team took up their positions in the back room and turned their attention to the monitors. They watched as Powell took up a station behind his desk and began to examine a few gemstones. After another twenty minutes, Beckett was just beginning to wonder if they were wasting their time when a man with a baseball cap pulled low over his face walked in. He was carrying a package that appeared to be about the size of the vase. Powell carefully set the stone he was examining back down before glancing at a clock and then to the man.

Powell stood up. "You are late."

The stranger took off his hat. "I got a bad taxi driver."

"The perils of living in New York City." Powell glanced toward the package in the man's hands. "You have brought it, I hope?"

The man stepped deeper into the shop. It was the son, Richard Bonnet. He unwrapped the package and handed a vase to Powell. Powell held it up and turned it every direction to get a good look. When the crest was facing him, he took his time examining it; which gave Beckett a clear view of the vase and crest, confirming it was the one they were looking for.

"Gotcha." Beckett picked up a walky and spoke in hushed tones. "All units, move in. We got him. Castle, stay here."

Beckett and the team crept out of the back room and took up positions throughout the shop. She heard the click in her earpiece that meant the outside units were in position to act as back-up if necessary. She gave a nod to her team and they all moved from their positions with a chorus of "Police, freeze." Richard Bonnet jumped and pulled a gun as Powell carefully dropped to the ground, cradling the vase. Beckett fired one round into Bonnet's shoulder. He dropped the gun and followed it to the floor.

* * *

Two hours later, both father and son were in custody. The son was in a jail ward of a hospital getting treatment, and the father had confessed to everything, including the B&E from the third precinct. In exchange, Richard Bonnet was eligible for parole in ten years; Daniel wouldn't be eligible for 25 years.

In the Molly Evans case, Daniel and Richard had broken in to get the vase and anything else valuable. Molly was gone at the nearby market, as was her usual Thursday routine. She returned from the store sooner than the Bonnets were expecting, and they weren't done clearing out the place. Richard had been in the bedroom grabbing the jewelry, Daniel heard her coming and hid in the coat closet. Molly entered the house and went straight to the kitchen to put her purchases away. While she was busy with that, Daniel attacked her with her own kitchen knife. Richard came in afterward. The men quickly finished up, tried to clean up, and left.

Beckett was quickly cleared by I.A. and was busy filling out paperwork when Castle, who had mysteriously vanished soon after their return to the precinct, sat down in his chair and placed a carton of Chinese takeout on her desk. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. Until a small jewelry box landed next to it.

Beckett sat back in her chair. "Castle…"

Castle was smiling. "Relax, I just wanted it to be here if you decided it was time to tell everyone."

Despite her annoyance, Beckett couldn't help but be touched. "Thanks. Well, the case is closed, so I guess we should get Lanie over here so we can tell them all at the same…" Her phone rang. "Beckett."

Suddenly she stood up, threw the ring box into a drawer, and wrote down an address. Castle recognized the signs of a new case, so he grabbed their dinner and hurried to put it in the break room fridge. By the time he labeled it and came back, Ryan and Esposito were following Beckett to the elevator.

Castle hurried to catch up. "We got a body?"

Beckett nodded as the elevator doors opened. "Yep, Perlmutter's going to meet us there."

* * *

**A/N: So there it is, the first mini case is closed. Let me know what you thought; I want to know if you guys think I should do more of these, or just stick with Shadow Fox. I'm fine either way. As always, I would really appreciate more feedback. I'm finding that I'm more motivated when I get reviews or PMs. Special thanks to phnxgrl for her review. I love bringing back Castle characters from the show into my work. For everyone else, if you'd also like to receive a special thanks from me, leave that review! Thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Thanks to phnxgrl for her review. I loved Powell on the show and wanted to bring him into this story. Kinda hope he comes back on the show at some point. And now for the chapter. It's a long one. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and will not in the foreseeable future, own Castle or the characters. Though that would be cool.**

* * *

Chapter 15

The crime scene was in an alley behind a small electronics store, a pawn shop, a used book store, and a bakery, as well as a couple hundred apartments. The body itself was behind the bakery. CSU had been on the scene for a while and were busy collecting samples, though the alleyway looked rather dilapidated and used, so they would have trouble finding anything usable.

Perlmutter was examining the body of a young African American woman. Judging from the logo on the apron she was wearing, the woman worked for the bakery. Ryan and Esposito went over to where the uniforms were interviewing potential witnesses.

Beckett walked up to Perlmutter. "What do we have?"

Perlmutter stood up reluctantly. "Black female, I.D. is missing, so I'm going to guess she's in her mid, or even early, thirties. Cause of death is exsanguination due to stabbing; I'll have to get her back to the lab to determine T.O.D."

Ryan came up to give the rundown. "Our victim's name is Crystal Peterman. She worked at the bakery over there. According to a co-worker, she left to take a smoking break at 1:45 and never came back. A fellow employee, Isha Chenkov, found her around 5:15. CSU hasn't found her purse, but Chenkov said that Peterman had it when she left."

Castle's brow was furrowed. "No one went looking for her until after five? Doesn't that seem like a long time to you?"

Ryan glanced at his notes. "Chenkov said she thought Peterman went home. Apparently she was looking a little pale lately, like she was ill or stressed."

Beckett nodded and then pointed to some cameras up the alley. "It looks like one of the stores had security cameras. Let's see if we can get something off them."

Esposito came over. "Electronics store says that the cameras over there are broken. Happened about a week ago. They're waiting for a part to arrive. Interesting side note though; someone tampered with the system, sometime within the last 24-48 hours."

"Wait, they were broken and someone still played with them?" Castle was confused. "I'm going to guess that the killer didn't know they were already out."

Esposito couldn't resist poking fun. "Well, look at the detective at work."

Ryan joined in. "Come on, Castle. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with that conclusion."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Any prints on, or in, the box?"

Esposito shook his head. "No, though CSU has collected several prints and fibers from the alley. Judging by the look of this alleyway, it's doubtful any of it will help though."

Ryan checked his notes. "According to the uniforms, everyone they spoke to said they didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary."

Beckett took one last look at the scene. "Okay, canvas the other buildings. See if there was anyone who saw something, or anything that could point to her killer. And have uniforms check nearby dumpsters for her purse. Maybe the killer left us a clue."

The boys nodded and split up to gather evidence and statements. Beckett and Castle headed in the bakery to speak to Crystal's coworkers. It was a quaint little place that smelled of bread and cookies. Peterman's coworkers were huddled around the coffee machine; all except one. Judging from the shell shocked look on the young woman's face, this had to be Isha Chenkov.

Beckett spoke to the shocked woman first. "Hi, I'm Detective Beckett. I need to ask you a few questions. Are you Isha Chenkov?" The young woman nodded. "You were the one who found Crystal?" Another nod. "How well did you know her?"

Isha sniffled and wiped her eyes before answering. "I only knew her from work. She was kind to everyone. She was funny and nice. Customers loved her. Who would do something like that to her?"

"That's what we're here to find out." Beckett pulled out her notebook. "Did Crystal have any family in the area? Maybe a boyfriend?"

"I don't think so." Isha looked down at her hands. "She never talked about her private life. I think she mentioned a sister once, but that was a while ago."

Beckett thanked the girl and went over to find the victim's boss. "Hi, I'm Detective Beckett. Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?" The manager shook her head and led them to her office. "I understand that Crystal went for a smoking break around 1:45. Is that her normal break time?"

The manager nodded. "Yes, Crystal always took her break at that time. All the girls have breaks scheduled throughout the day."

Castle jumped in. "She wasn't found until after five. Why did no one go looking for her?"

The manager shrugged. "I wasn't here, so I didn't even know she was gone. Usually we get really busy in the afternoon. Our busiest time is between 2 and 4. I guess when she didn't come back from her break, the other girls thought she had gone home."

Castle nodded. "Did Crystal have any unusual changes in behavior lately?"

"No, but she was going to miss a little work soon." The manager looked at the calendar on her desk. "Starting next week, in fact."

Beckett wrote a note. "Did she tell you why?"

The manger nodded. "She is…was, a key witness in a trial. I don't remember who was involved, but I think it was a politician."

"That's why she was stressed lately." Beckett wrote the information down, with a note to look it up.

Beckett and Castle stood up and thanked the manager for her time. They left the bakery and watched as the coroner's van pulled away. Just as Castle and Beckett were about to leave, one of the women from the bakery approached them.

"Detectives?" Beckett turned around. "Wait, I think I might know something you should know."

Beckett pulled out her notepad. "What is it?"

The girl looked nervous. "About two months ago, Crystal helped out a catering company that a friend of hers owns. One of the girls from the business was harassed at the event. Crystal saw what happened and was going to be a witness in the trial sometime within the next couple of weeks. Do you think that Crystal was killed to shut her up?"

Beckett finished writing and put the notebook away. "It's possible. Do you know who the victim in the suit was?"

Crystal's coworker shook her head. "No, but the catering company was DeVil's Food."

* * *

It was too late in the evening to contact DeVil's Food and Perlmutter wouldn't have the autopsy results until the morning, so Beckett and the team headed back to the precinct to eat dinner and start the murder board. Halfway through, they got a call informing them that the victim's purse had been found three blocks away from the crime scene. Her keys were missing, and the rest looked like it had been searched thoroughly. The wallet was still there, but her cash and cards were gone. CSU had tagged it and would process the purse as soon as possible.

Once all the information was up, Beckett handed out morning tasks. Ryan and Esposito were to look into the lawsuit that Crystal was involved with while Castle would join Beckett in the morgue. Beckett also wanted to talk to the catering company Peterman had helped out; Ryan and Esposito would check out the victim's apartment and phone records. With the morning assignments doled out, they all said good night and went home.

* * *

Kate woke up to find Rick sitting up in bed, writing in a notebook. She looked at the bedside clock; it was 3:12 in the morning.

Kate rolled over to face him. "Castle, what are you doing up?"

Rick looked over in surprise. "I'm Castle now? I thought it was Rick at home."

Kate sat up. "Usually, yes. But when you're up at 3:15 in the morning, you're Castle. I say again, what are you doing up?"

Rick gave a tired smile. "I had a dream that was a great idea for my next book. I wanted to write it down before I forgot it."

Kate sighed. "Come on, Rick. Go back to sleep. We've got to get started early tomorrow."

Rick put the notebook and pen back on the nightstand. "You mean today."

Kate rolled her eyes as she kissed him. "Whatever floats your boat."

* * *

Perlmutter began the autopsy in the usual manner. "C.O.D. is exsanguination due to 12 stab wounds. I've narrowed down the T.O.D. to between 1:45 and 2:30. Tox screen indicates she was a regular smoker, but not a heavy smoker, so she was in relatively good health besides that. She didn't use drugs and as far as I can tell, she didn't drink alcohol. Anything else?"

"Any ideas on the murder weapon, maybe?" Castle couldn't help being blunt around Perlmutter.

Perlmutter dished it right back. "Every wound shows signs of the knife being twisted, so no, I don't."

Beckett stepped in to stop a conflict before it started. "Thanks Perlmutter. Could you email the photos to me?"

Perlmutter was already turning to another body. "Did that before you came in."

* * *

Beckett updated the board while Castle grabbed them both coffee. He returned while she was on the phone with DeVil's Food making an appointment to speak with the owner. Ryan and Esposito were busy going through Crystal Peterman's place, trying to find out more about her and if she had any next of kin who should be notified.

Beckett took a sip of her coffee and looked up Crystal Peterman's background check. "Peterman seems like the perfect citizen. She doesn't have a record of any kind, not even a parking ticket. And except for the court case, I just don't see why anyone would want to harm her." Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Hey Ryan. What do you have for me?"

Ryan sounded like he was near construction. "_Peterman's place has been tossed, but we found out that she has a mother and sister living upstate. Esposito is talking to the mother right now. Other than that, there's nothing here that can tell us who did it. The place was wiped down, too._"

Beckett ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, thanks. Let me know if anything turns up."

* * *

DeVil's Food was housed in an abandoned diner that had been renovated to fulfill the needs of a growing catering business. Beckett and Castle were greeted by an African American woman in her late thirties who introduced herself as Sharon DeVil and escorted them into her tiny office in the back.

Sharon took a seat behind her desk. "So, Detective, what can I help you with?"

Beckett pulled out a photo of the victim. "I'm investigating the death of Crystal Peterman."

Sharon's hand flew to her mouth when she saw the autopsy photo. "Oh my gosh, Crystal's dead? When?"

Beckett took the photo back. "Yesterday afternoon. I understand she worked an event for you two or three months ago. I've also learned that she was a key witness in a lawsuit that starts next week. Is there a connection between these events?"

Sharon nodded. "One of my employees was sexually assaulted during an event for Gary Silverman, the city council member. Her name was Tatiana James."

Beckett stopped writing. "Was?"

Sharon nodded again. "She was killed at an event in Jersey about a week after she filed the suit. The police said that it was a mugging gone wrong. I guess it could have been. Her purse, keys, jewelry, all of that was missing. So I don't know."

Beckett made a note to call the Jersey P.D. and get the information. "Do you know who the defendant in the trial was?"

Sharon looked right at Detective Beckett. "I think it was Councilman Silverman."

* * *

Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct to update the board and find out what the boys had uncovered. Ryan and Esposito had just finished adding their information to the board when Beckett and Castle joined them.

Esposito started. "So, we checked out the victim's apartment. Nothing there to suggest who the killer was, though the place had been tossed. Also, her only living relatives were her mother and sister. I called them and they are coming down to see if they can help identify anything that might be missing from the apartment."

Ryan glanced at his notes. "On the case front, we have some more news. It turns out that Peterman was the only witness in a criminal sexual harassment suit against Councilman Gary Silverman. Apparently, at a fundraising event for him, Silverman made several suggestive comments and briefly groped a woman named Tatiana James. We asked the attorneys to send over the information they had for the case. We've also tried to contact James, but her phone was disconnected. We thought she might have switched phone numbers or something. We'll keep trying."

Beckett shook her head. "Don't bother. James was killed in Jersey at an event that DeVil's Food worked. I want you guys to call Jersey City P.D.; have them send over the James case. Tell them we have a case that we believe is linked to theirs."

Esposito nodded. "On it, boss."

Beckett put up the information they found and then stood back to contemplate the board. There was something she couldn't quite put her finger on, some suspicion she had that she couldn't quite place or name.

Castle felt the same way. "Is it just me, or is there something about this case that feels familiar?"

Beckett sat down in her chair. "No, it's not just you. I'm feeling like there is something we're missing. I just don't know what." Suddenly, her focus zeroed in on the autopsy photos. "Wait…"

Castle moved closer to the board too. "What?"

Beckett turned to Castle. "Doesn't twelve stab wounds seem a bit high for a simple mugging gone wrong?"

Castle nodded, but wasn't completely following her. "So?"

Beckett didn't answer. She turned back to the board and looked closely at the autopsy photos, letting each one speak to her. The one showing Peterman's lower back was calling the loudest. Beckett took it down and looked very closely. Suddenly she had a theory.

Beckett went to her phone. "Dr. Perlmutter, please. Yes, I'll hold." Castle placed his ear close to the phone to hear the conversation. "Perlmutter, this is Detective Beckett. I was wondering if you had managed to identify the murder weapon used on Crystal Peterman."

Perlmutter sounded more pissed than usual. "_No I haven't. I told you this morning, the wound tracts are too damaged to do that._"

Beckett grimaced. "Could you put Dr. Parish on the phone? I need to ask her a question."

Perlmutter almost shouted. "_Are you questioning my work?_"

Beckett quickly tried to placate Perlmutter. "No, but I would like her to take a look and confirm or deny my theory. I think…" The line went dead. "Hello? He hung up on me." Beckett redialed the number. "Dr. Parish, please."

Castle was catching up. "Are you thinking a certain assassin had something to do with it?"

Beckett nodded. "Lanie, hi. Listen, I want you to take a look at Crystal Peterman. I know its Perlmutter's case, but I was looking at the autopsy photos and I think Shadow Fox might have something to do with her death."

Lanie sighed. "_So you're the reason Perlmutter is currently giving me the death stare. Okay, I'll do it, but you owe me._"

Beckett was relieved. "Thank you, Lanie."

Lanie chuckled. "_Don't thank me yet, girl. And I want a day at the spa for this._"

Beckett laughed. "I'll see what Castle can do."

Beckett hung up the phone just as Ryan put his down. "Hey, Beckett. Jersey City P.D. just emailed their files to us. I'm forwarding them to you now."

Beckett turned her computer on. "Let's see what the Jersey boys have."

* * *

**A/N: Dun-dun-dun. ****Is it? We'll find out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: This chapter had to be split in two. I wrote one draft, and when I re-read it, I was unsatisfied. Mostly because I felt it moved too quickly and didn't have much real information. So I re-wrote it and split it in half. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and will not in the foreseeable future, own Castle or the characters. Though that would be really cool.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Beckett received reports from the Jersey City P.D. regarding James' murder, a burglary report from the 28th precinct, in which James was listed as a victim, and court papers regarding the trial that James and Peterman had been involved in. The police report from the Jersey City P.D. did not have much information. According to the report, Tatiana James was a caterer with DeVil's Food. At the event, she went out the back door of the ballroom to take a break. She was then shot in the abdomen at point blank range. One of the guests, Tanya Sessey, left a statement saying that she thought she heard a gunshot out the back door and she went to investigate. Sessey found James unconscious, and saw that she was losing blood quickly. She called for help and tried to stop the bleeding. Another guest, Jonas Martindale, said that he heard the call for help and went to see what had happened. He saw the first guest attempting to stop the bleeding and called 911. The ambulance arrived and rushed James to the hospital, where she slipped into a coma. She died the next day.

The police investigated the scene and found gunshot residue in the hallway near the victim's blood. CSU were unable to find any evidence that pointed to the killer. There were no witnesses of the shooting itself, and not very many people heard anything before the call for help. The bullet recovered from James' body was from a .22 caliber handgun and had rifling on it consistent with a screw-on silencer. Her purse, keys, and jewelry were missing, so the police ruled the case a robbery-homicide. The burglary report regarding James' apartment, which was located in Harlem, was handled by the 28th precinct. They were contacted by James' roommate, Kesha Jones, who had been out of town on vacation before the murder and didn't return until after the robbery. She had no idea that James was dead until she got back, and the 28th precinct wasn't aware of James' death at all.

The papers from Tatiana James' lawyers, as well as a police report from the 5th precinct, outlined the events at Councilman Silverman's fundraising event. The police report consisted of statements from James, Peterman, Silverman, and a couple witnesses from the party, as well as a receiving officer's report. According to James, Silverman had been making comments either to her, or about her, throughout the fundraiser. He would say things like, "I like a woman with legs like that," or, "I hope I can be lucky enough to take a girl like you home with me tonight". Later, she went out the door onto the patio to take a phone call from her sister. The sister's daughter had gone to the hospital earlier in the day because of some stomach pains that turned out to be appendicitis. James was getting an update from the sister. After she had ended the call, she was grabbed from behind by a man. He put his hand down her blouse and tried to seduce James. She said she recognized the voice as Silverman's and claimed that he said, "I want you. Right here. I've seen the way you look at me. Come on, just you and me. No one is here, no one will see. How about it, baby?" as he was trying to take her shirt off. She fought him and he was getting angry when Peterman came out to see what the commotion was about. James used the distraction to get away and she asked Peterman to take her to the police.

Peterman's statement was that she heard a something that sounded like a fight out on the patio and she went to investigate. She saw Councilman Silverman trying to remove James' blouse and fighting her, speaking very harshly to her. Her arrival allowed the noise from the party to reach their ears and Silverman abruptly released James, who asked to be taken to the police. Witness statements attested that Silverman had in fact excused himself from the party in the direction of the patio. A couple witnesses said that he claimed he wanted to get some fresh air. Security footage showed that he followed James out onto the patio minutes after she did. Unfortunately, there was no security footage outside. The receiving officer at the 5th said that Ms. James' clothes and hair had been disheveled, and that there were scratch marks on her chest, as well as a few bruises on her upper arms and shoulders consistent with Ms. James' statement. A rape kit wasn't performed due to the lack of an actual rape, but DNA on James' body matched Silverman, whose DNA was in the system from a rape accusation by a college student five years before. Silverman's statement was the usual politician's denial that anything of the sort had happened, and that the accusation was completely unfounded. He claimed that the scratches and bruises were self inflicted as part of an attempt to frame him. He also said that he had no idea how his DNA was on her body.

Beckett looked at the date on police report for James' death and the date on the papers filing Criminal Sexual Assault charges against Councilman Gary Silverman. James's death at the event in New Jersey occurred one week after the suit was filed against Silverman. The burglary report from the 28th precinct was a week after James' death. Beckett then looked at the date for the start of the trail against Peterman's date of death. Peterman had been killed one week before the trail was set to begin. Beckett knew there couldn't be a coincidence.

Beckett sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking at her watch. She had been reading the reports for the last two hours. She glanced toward the conference room to where the boys were talking with Peterman's mother and sister. They were both crying as the boys asked them questions about Crystal.

Lanie called just as Castle was returning with a coffee. "_Hey, I just took a look at Peterman's body. You're right. Bruise pattern and stab wound location are consistent with Shadow Fox. I also did a wound tract mold and, despite the damage caused by twisting the knife, it looks like it was a Wingwalk._"

Beckett added the information to the board. "Thanks Lanie. Let me know when you want that spa day." She hung up the phone and watched as Esposito escorted Peterman's family to the elevator. She waited until the doors to the elevator closed before turning to the bullpen. "All right, listen up. We have another case that I believe has a Shadow Fox connection. The victim is Crystal Peterman. She was a key witness in a sexual assault case against Councilman Gary Silverman and I believe she was killed to prevent her from testifying. The victim of that case was Tatiana James. She was killed in New Jersey a week after she filed charges against Silverman."

Esposito spoke up. "Do you think Silverman killed James and then hired Shadow Fox to take care of Peterman?"

Beckett turned to him. "I think Silverman hired out both hits." Beckett took a moment to figure out assignments. "Ryan, Esposito, I want you to track down James former roommate, Kesha Jones, and James' family. Find out what they know about the assault, the burglary, her death, everything. Karpowski, can you look into Silverman? I want to know more about him. Apparently his DNA is in the system from a different sexual assault case. Look into that and find out why it never went to trial. Castle and I are going to visit Judge Markaway to get a warrant for his financials. If he paid Shadow Fox's account, that should be enough to bring him in for questioning."

They split up to complete their jobs. As Beckett got into the elevator with Castle, she couldn't help but hope that this time, the employer might actually have some real information about their elusive assassin.

* * *

They found Judge Markaway leaving a courtroom to return to his chambers. He looked mentally exhausted and was rubbing his face. They both had to quickly jump out of his way as he almost hit them.

Beckett hurried after him. "Judge Markaway, sir. I was hoping to take just a moment of your time."

Markaway looked up in surprise. "Oh, Detective Beckett. Castle. What can I help you with?"

Castle couldn't help but asking, "Tough case?" before Beckett could explain why they were there.

Markaway groaned. "A young boy accused of raping and killing his own mother. But I don't want to talk about that. Tell me, what is this about?"

Again, Castle spoke before Beckett got the chance. "We need a warrant for Councilman Silverman's financial records." Beckett glared at him and he quickly amended. "She needs a warrant."

Beckett quickly jumped in before Markaway could say no. "Sir, I have a victim who was killed by an assassin known only as the Shadow Fox. The victim was a key witness in a sexual assault case against Councilman Silverman. The plaintiff in that case has also been murdered. We believe that both women were killed in order to kill the case against him."

Markaway was skeptically convinced. "And you believe that his financial records will prove it?"

Beckett nodded. "We've had another case that dealt with this assassin, and from that case, we were able to obtain the number for an account in the Cayman Islands that belongs to the Shadow Fox. If Silverman has transferred money to that account, we will be able to prove that he did arrange to have at least one of the two victims killed."

Castle offered his back for Markaway to use as a desk. "Here is your warrant, Detective. I hope you know what you are doing."

* * *

Esposito and Ryan were waiting when Beckett and Castle returned. "Yo Beckett. How'd it go with Markaway?"

Beckett shrugged out of her coat and held up the warrant. "Got the warrant. Silverman's financials and phone records should be arriving in about an hour. What did you guys find?"

Ryan glanced down at his notes. "Tatiana's roommate was only here for college. When James was killed, she transferred to a school out in California, which is where she was from. She didn't say anything about the robbery that we didn't know from the police report, and she says that James never mentioned being attacked at her job. But she did say that around that time, James became more nervous and didn't interact as much."

Esposito walked over to Beckett's desk. "Tatiana's family knew about the assault, and they are the ones that were trying to keep the trail going even after James' death. They weren't told much about her death, just that it was a robbery gone wrong. They didn't think that was the whole story though; they were sure that Silverman had something to do with it."

Karpowski came over. "Hey Beckett, here's the information you asked for."

Beckett turned toward Karpowski. "Great, what'd you find?"

Karpowski looked at the notes. "Silverman's father was Edward Silverman, prominent lawyer at Hemming and Waye. His mother was a young law student when she met his father. He was born in 1965…"

Beckett interrupted. "I don't need a full biography, just the stuff that might pertain to this case."

Karpowski smirked. "I know. Okay, let's see. He was first elected to the city council 10 years ago, only nine years after he graduated from NYU with a law degree. Then in his first re-election campaign, he spoke at a rally at his alma mater and stayed to attend a party thrown by the student council for him. A girl was slipped GHB and raped. She claimed it was Councilman Silverman. He agreed to submit a sample of his DNA for comparison, and it wasn't a match."

Castle interrupted. "I'm betting he didn't think they would save his sample in the database."

Karpowski nodded. "They did find who raped her, and he served three years. The girl had to publicly apologize for falsely accusing Silverman of rape."

Beckett stood up and walked to the board. "He got away with the charge once; he probably thought he would get away with it again." She updated the board. "Thanks Karpowski."

Karpowski dropped her Silverman notes on Beckett's desk. "No problem."

Beckett checked her email and saw that both the financials and phone records had arrived. She forwarded the email to the boys and sent them back to their computers to check the financials. Half an hour later, Ryan called out to let them now that he had spotted the Shadow Fox account. Sure enough, Silverman had wired $100,000 to the account two days before Peterman's death.

The boys continued to look through the records while Beckett wrote up three more warrants; one for Silverman's arrest , the second for his personal computer, or more accurately, his email accounts, and the third for the owner of the second hit man's account. Beckett wanted to make sure that they could tie Silverman to both murders beyond a doubt.

Esposito found the second assassin's account number an hour later. The payment to that account occurred three days before James' death, and the amount was also $100,000; unfortunately, the account number was not in their database of hit men. However, the account was for a bank in Manhattan, so they could easily get the information for the owner of that account. Beckett told the boys get the warrants signed first thing in the morning. At this time of night, they were unlikely to get much more work done, so everyone said goodnight and headed home.

* * *

Rick was excited when they got home. Alexis was supposed to call, and let them know when her finals were so that they could schedule her flight home. Kate helped Rick fix dinner while they waited. When the phone finally rang, Rick practically sprinted for it, making Kate laugh when he almost tripped on the rug in the living room.

Castle finally managed to answer the phone. "Hey Alexis. How is school going? Hang on, I'm gonna put you on speaker."

Alexis' voice rang out of the phone. "_Hi Kate. Is my Dad behaving?_"

Kate laughed. "Actually yes." Castle beamed. "Most of the time." Castle's face fell. "When his publishers aren't kidnapping him. What's going on on your end? The weather must be gorgeous there."

Alexis laughed. "_Yeah, it's finally starting to get warmer here. I bet it's already warm there. Oh, have Lanie and Esposito set a date yet?_"

Kate shook her head even though Alexis couldn't see her. "No, not yet. They keep saying soon, but nothing so far. I think their waiting until a venue opens up. And we've actually had a little snow recently, it's a little out of season."

Rick jumped in. "Alright Pumpkin, I've been waiting long enough. When are you done with finals so I can bring you home already?"

Alexis laughed. "_I'll be ready to come home at the end of the month. School will be done a week earlier, but a friend of mine is actually going to get married that next weekend, so I'm going to stay until after that. That won't be a problem, will it?_"

Rick looked disappointed. "No, not at all."

Kate interrupted him with a laugh. "Alexis, you should see your father's face. It's like someone told him Christmas was cancelled."

"_Dad, I promise that you can have me on a flight home the next day. Actually, I've already booked the flight. Don't worry; I'll be home soon enough._"

Rick nodded and dished up their dinner. "So, how are the classes going? Any of them brutally exhausting?"

Alexis laughed. "_My classes are going well, and I'm learning a ton. I'm actually disappointed to see the semester end. I was thinking about taking a couple online classes this summer to get ahead and stay in the habit. That won't interfere with your plans, will it?_"

"Well, knowing your father, he probably anticipated your plan to keep up with school and has devised a plethora of ideas to distract you. Does that sound about right to you?"

Alexis laughed. "_Yeah, that sounds like him. He actually bought a tank of liquid nitrogen and used that as a way to distract me when I had to study for my A.P. exams a few years ago._"

Kate turned to Rick. "Was that during the Balthazar Wolf case?"

Rick first looked guilty, then excited as he remembered the story. "Yeah, but it was so much fun. I even froze time."

Alexis joined in. "_He dropped his watch in._ _And then he said that he was going to figure out how to turn it into a weather machine so that my friends would cancel their trip to the Hamptons. And then we were going to take over the world._"

Kate shook her head. "Sadly, I'm not surprised. How are things going with Ashley?"

Alexis sounded vague. "_They're fine. We went to see a movie last night._"

Castle noticed the change in Alexis' voice. "What's going on, Sweetie? I thought things were going really well."

Alexis sounded falsely cheerful. "_They are. We're just busy with papers. That's all._" Rick and Kate heard a car horn. "_Oh, my friends are here. I've got to go to a study group. I'll talk to you later._"

Rick and Kate both told Alexis goodbye and the phone call ended. Rick looked confused and Kate shrugged. He shrugged too, and went to fetch them a couple beers. Kate took hers and they tapped their bottles together.

Castle sat down next to Kate. "I just don't get it. I thought they were doing so well."

Kate laughed. "This coming from the guy who was worried about his intentions with her."

Rick shrugged. "I am worried about his intentions. But I don't want her to have her heart broken. She's my little girl. I just don't want her to get hurt."

Kate turned his head toward her. "Having your heart broken is a part of life. You can't know what you want until you know what its like to lose. She'll be fine."

Rick sighed. "Yeah, you're right. But it's a father's job to worry, right?"

Kate nodded and turned back to her food. Their conversation turned to the case and they ran a few ideas past each other as they finished eating and cleaned up.

Kate was looking out the bedroom window when she saw a flicker of movement on the neighboring roof. But when she tried to get a closer look, she couldn't see anything. She shrugged and returned to getting ready for bed. When Rick joined her a couple minutes later, she turned out the lights and snuggled closer to his body.

* * *

**A/N: This turned out much better than the original draft. Let me know what your thoughts are! With that in mind, thanks to phnxgrl for her review. You should know to never argue with a cop's gut feeling :).**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: H****ere is the second half of Chapter 16. It's a little shorter then the last chapter, which was the longest of the story so far. The case gets closer to being solved, but we're not there yet. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and will not in the foreseeable future, own Castle or the characters. Though that would be cool.**

* * *

Chapter 17

When Beckett and Castle arrived the next morning, Esposito and Ryan were waiting for them. "Yo, Beckett. Silverman and his lawyer are in Interrogation."

"Thanks Esposito." Beckett shrugged out of her coat. "Did you try to get anything from him?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, but the attorney has him in silent mode. Unless we have some more leverage, he won't start talking."

Beckett nodded. "How's the search for the second assassin coming?"

Esposito groaned. "We're trying to find a Judge who will sign it."

Castle looked up. "What about Markaway?"

Esposito tossed a ball of paper into his trash can. "Markaway is in trial. They don't think he'll get out until this afternoon."

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, he was telling us about it. Where are we on Silverman's computer?"

Ryan pointed at the board. "Techs got it, but they're going to be taking their time with it. Just to be safe."

Castle nodded. "Yeah, they wouldn't want a repeat of Robinson."

Beckett picked up a folder. "Okay, I'm going to have a run at him. Let me know if you find anything important."

* * *

For the next half hour, Beckett felt like she was talking to a wall that had a very annoying security speaker attached to it. She couldn't even get Silverman to give his version of events. And his attorney, Paul Daniels, certainly wasn't helping. In the end, she emerged from I1 with a headache and a strong desire to hit something. She was just considering going up to hit the punching bag, when Castle handed her a cup of coffee and Ryan stood up excitedly.

"Markaway is on recess and has agreed to see us about the warrant. We're going to go get it signed now."

Esposito hung up his phone. "I.T. just called. They found an encrypted email, but it activated a virus wiped out his computer. Luckily, they had made a copy of everything first. And they think they know how the virus works. They're going to try and get rid of it and start again."

Beckett nodded. "Good. Okay, get that warrant. I want to know who else he hired to do his dirty work."

Esposito and Ryan grabbed their coats. "On it."

Castle turned to follow Beckett. "What are we going to do?"

Beckett put her untouched coffee down on her desk. "You can keep going through Silverman's phone records. I'm going to go hit something."

* * *

Beckett returned an hour later to find the boys on the phone, and Castle busy playing with his. Esposito hung up the phone and wrote something on the board. Ryan looked like he was getting the runaround. Castle giggled, which meant he was probably playing Angry Birds. Beckett wandered over to her desk and watched as Esposito finished. Now there was a note saying that I.T. had managed to recover the email sent to the Shadow Fox. The email was sent to a single use account, which made it impossible to track. Beckett groaned. _So much for getting an address_.

Castle looked up when he heard Beckett. "Hey, feel better now?"

Beckett shrugged. "Oh, you know. Hitting Silverman or his lawyer would feel better, but that might cause a problem."

Castle smiled. "Probably. Its too bad he didn't talk."

Beckett sat up. "Maybe we do have enough to make him talk. Ryan, where are you guys with that second account?"

Ryan covered the mouthpiece. "On hold."

Beckett picked up her case file and headed for I1. "Keep on it. Esposito, I need you in Observation. Castle, if you're tired of phone records, you can join him."

Castle was confused. "Why not with you?"

Beckett turned around. "I don't want too many people in there. It'll only cause problems, and I have a plan."

As soon as Beckett opened the door, Daniels was standing. "Detective, this is absurd. Do you realize how long we've been waiting? We are done. I'm leaving, and Councilman Silverman is coming with me."

Beckett tossed the folder onto the table and shut the door. "The only place your client is going is to a holding cell. I have enough evidence against him to hold him on first degree murder."

Daniels took a seat and sneered. "You've got nothing on him. This is all just a bluff to get him to talk."

Beckett sat up. "Really?" She pulled out a copy of Silverman's financial records. "This is a copy of your client's financial records. Don't worry, we got a warrant. Unfortunately for you, I've already had a case that involved this account number. It belongs to an assassin known as the Shadow Fox. The payment to this account, from your account, was made two days before Crystal Peterman was murder."

Beckett watched Silverman for his tells. He had become twitchy and was glancing at his lawyer, but he was also a politician, and good at masking his tells. Everything Beckett read from him said guilty, but she wasn't done yet.

"Do you understand what this means?" Beckett pulled out Peterman's autopsy photo. "Hiring an assassin to clean up your mess shows premeditation. That makes this a special circumstance case and qualifies you for the needle. Now, I'm willing to take the special circumstances off the table, if you give me the names of the assassins you hired."

Daniels put a restraining hand on Silverman's shoulder. "Detective, my client is not going to be answering any of your questions."

Beckett sat back in her chair. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was a lawyer's job to make their clients the best deal possible. If your client doesn't start talking, Daniels, at his trial for two counts of 1st degree murder, he is going to be buried with the evidence and sentenced to lethal injection. I'm willing to take the special circumstances off the table in exchange for information that can help us arrest two very dangerous people."

Silverman was sweating. Gone was the carefully constructed façade of a politician. In its place was the look of a man who feared for his life. But he still didn't talk.

Beckett leaned forward and turned toward Silverman. "Gary, this is a limited time offer. I have guys looking into the first assassin you hired…"

Silverman broke his silence. "What first assassin?"

Daniels was irate. "Gary!"

Beckett knew she had him now and pointed at the second highlighted entry. "Three days before the plaintiff in your sexual assault case was killed, you wired $100,000 to this account. I have guys working on discovering who this account belongs to." Beckett sat back and gestured toward the window. "If I hear a knock on this window before you tell me who you hired, the deal is off." She dropped her hands to her lap, the picture of ease and patience. "So Gary, what's it going to be? Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or not?"

Daniels began to whisper in Silverman's ear. Beckett dropped her left hand toward the floor and spread out her fingers. Slowly, she curled one finger at a time until her hand made a fist, counting down from five to none. At that moment, there was a tap on the glass.

Beckett stood to leave. "Time's up. Last chance Gary." Silverman looked at Beckett in terror. "No? That's too bad." Beckett turned to leave.

"No, wait! I'll talk." Silverman was half out of his chair.

Daniels tried to stop him. "Gary! Don't say another word!"

Silverman wasn't about to listen. "Wait. Please! I'll tell you everything!"

* * *

In the Observation Room, Castle and Esposito listened as Beckett laid out the facts. "_If your client doesn't start talking, Daniels, at his trial for two counts of 1__st__ degree murder, he is going to be buried with the evidence and sentenced to lethal injection. I'm willing to take the special circumstances off the table in exchange for information that can help us arrest two very dangerous people._"

Castle tapped Esposito on the shoulder. "What is she doing?"

Esposito chuckled. "She did something like this a few years ago. While you were in the Hamptons I think. Just watch, you'll love this."

Beckett leaned forward and turned toward Silverman. "_Gary, this is a limited time offer. I have guys looking into the first assassin you hired…_"

Ryan walked in. "I found out who the account belongs to." He went to knock in the window.

Esposito stopped him. "Wait, let's let him hang himself."

Beckett pointed at the financial records. "_Three days before the plaintiff in your sexual assault case was killed, you wired $100,000 to this account. I have guys working on discovering who this account belongs to._"

They watched as Beckett sat back and gestured toward the window. "_If I hear a knock on this window before you tell me who you hired, the deal is off._"

Ryan moved toward the window again as Beckett dropped her hands to her lap, and Esposito restrained him again. "_So Gary, what's it going to be? Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or not?_"

Ryan shrugged Esposito's hand off. "She says that we're going to knock when we've found something. I've found something. Why aren't you letting me let her know?"

Esposito gestured toward the window. "Just watch."

They watched as Beckett dropped her left hand toward the floor and spread out her fingers. She curled her fingers, one at a time, until her hand made a fist.

Esposito gestured toward the window again. "Now you can knock."

Castle nodded in understanding as Ryan tapped on the glass. "The plan was to make him think that we had found something, even if we didn't. I like it."

* * *

Beckett sat back down. "What did you want to say?"

Silverman glanced at his lawyer and then back at the detective. "I'll tell you everything, but I want the special circumstances off the table, my own cell, protective custody, and I don't want to eat that prison food."

Beckett shook her head. "I can work with the D.A. about giving you your own cell, protective custody, and no needle, but I can't give you special treatment. Now start talking. Who did you hire to kill Tatiana James?"

Silverman hung his head. "I hired Kirill Andreievich to kill Tatiana James. And the Shadow Fox to kill Crystal Peterman, but I swear, I don't know who the Shadow Fox really is."

Beckett listened as Silverman confessed to everything. How he was the one that assaulted James, how he hired Andreievich to kill her and make it look like a mugging. That he was alarmed when he heard that the trail was going to go forward even after James death, and knew that without a witness testimony, the case against him would fall apart. How he got the number to call the Shadow Fox from a website hit men use to get jobs. How he called the number and was given the instructions for placing a hit.

When she emerged an hour later, Silverman was escorted to booking, Daniels threw her a dirty look and left, and the media was there to snap photographs. Beckett turned from the paparazzi and saw Captain Gates motioning for Beckett to join her in her office.

* * *

**A/N: In the first draft for chapter 16, I got to this point by the end. I figured that without more information, the entire scenario would not have happened. Next chapter, we get our first real look at the new captain. I doubt my rendition will be anywhere close to how she'll be portrayed in Castle, but this story is a story based on the amazing show, so that's okay. I'd also like to thank phnxgrl for her review. Yeah, we've got the councilman, but the case isn't over just yet!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter is posted a little later than planned, but that's because it fought me tooth and nail. I have the marks to prove it (not really). In other news, here is the official meeting of Captain Victoria Gates. As I mentioned last chapter, she probably won't be like this in Season 4, but keep in mind that this story takes place three years after Season 4 begins. She hopefully will have thawed a bit by that point. And thanks to southerngirl1 for your review. I had fun writing that bit.**

**Disclaimer: I figure that if I don't own Castle by now, its safe to say I won't by the time this story is complete. So just assume that this disclaimer applies to all future chapters.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Gates closed the door. "So, what did Councilman Silverman say?"

Beckett sat in the offered chair. "He confessed to everything. And he gave us the name of the assassin he hired to kill Tatiana James. Kirill Andreievich. Ryan confirmed that he is the owner of the first assassin's account."

Gates sat back in her chair. "Do we know where he is?"

Beckett shook her head. "Not yet, but Ryan and Esposito are working on it."

Gates nodded. "What did you have to give him? Silverman."

Beckett glanced toward the cameras of the still present media. "Second degree murder instead of first, his own cell, and protective custody. He also wanted a special meal plan instead of the prison food, but I told him that wouldn't happen."

Gates nodded. "Good. Hopefully he won't try to go to trial."

Beckett smiled. "His lawyer was furious, but I think Silverman is smart enough to know a deal when he sees one."

"Let's hope so." Gates sat up and returned to her paperwork. "Good work Detective."

Beckett stood to leave. "Thank you."

Ryan called her over as soon as she walked into the bullpen. "We've got an address for Andreievich. Esposito is getting the arrest and search warrants signed."

Beckett grabbed her keys and ducked her head to avoid the flashbulbs. "Let's go."

* * *

Beckett's team pulled up outside Andreievich's building. They had picked up Esposito on the way and were now just waiting for SWAT to arrive. Beckett assumed that Andreievich would be armed, so they weren't taking any chances. Ryan held up the warrants one last time as SWAT pulled up, and they all checked their guns again.

Beckett turned to Castle while SWAT did their last minute prep. "I'm not going to ask you to stay in the car, but please stay out of the way. As in, stay in the hall until everything is clear. Got it?" Castle knew by now that this was her way of saying "I love you, please don't die on me" and nodded. He looked around, saw that SWAT was ready and adjusted his vest one last time. Beckett turned to the assembled group. "Let's go."

The unit moved into the building and quietly traveled the distance to Andreievich's apartment. They took up their positions and, with a nod from Beckett, burst into the apartment and yelled, "Freeze." When Beckett crossed the threshold, the first thing she noticed was the strong smell of bleach. One by one, the chorus of "Clear" echoed out, followed by a call from Ryan.

"Beckett, you're gonna want to see this."

Beckett holstered her gun and moved into the bedroom. The smell of bleach grew stronger as she entered the room, and a quick glance around explained why; the entire room had been drenched in bleach. Some surfaces were still wet, which meant that the body hanging halfway off the bed couldn't have been dead for very long. Esposito was on the phone, and from the conversation, it sounded like he was talking to Lanie.

Castle nervously poked his head around the doorframe. "Is it safe yet?"

Beckett bent to examine the body. "Yes, it's safe." She looked at the gun on the floor. "It's a Berretta U22 Neos. Same caliber as the slug that killed James. We'll have to run it through ballistics to see if it's a match."

Beckett took another look around the room. There were things all over the floor, many of them broken, as if there had been a fight. Beckett walked over to one of the walls and saw that there were bullet holes in it. She took a closer look; one of the slugs was not in the hole anymore. There were marks around that hole indicating that the bullet had been dug out, and the hole looked like it had been given the bleach treatment too. So it was possible that their victim's killer had been shot. Beckett turned around to voice her discovery when Lanie walked in.

"Whew, someone was busy destroying evidence." Lanie set her kit down by the body. "I'm guessing it wasn't this guy. Has anyone touched the body yet?"

Ryan nodded. "I checked for a pulse right here." He pointed to the spot on the victim's neck where he had touched and Lanie nodded.

Beckett walked over to the M.E. "Any I.D.?"

Lanie pulled a wallet out of the dead man's pocket. "Looks like we have a Charles Zanderfield. Wait, this credit card is for James Stein. The pictures on both cards match this guy."

Esposito stood up after searching under the bed. "Looks like our guy's a squirrel. I found a Russian Federation's passport for Kirill Andreievich, and U.S. passports for both Charles Zanderfield and James Stein. This must be our guy."

Castle came out of the bathroom. "Well, Lockwood and Coonan had multiple I.D.'s. It makes sense that any assassin would need a few false identities."

Beckett nodded. "Okay, get CSU up here. I want to find out if there is anything here that can help us find who killed our guy. Esposito, Ryan, show this man's picture downstairs and at the bank. I want to find out which name is his real one. And put out a notice to local hospitals. I think out killer may have been shot."

Ryan looked up from his notepad. "What makes you say that?"

Beckett went back over to the wall and pointed at the hole. "This hole looks like a slug was dug out of it, and bleach was used in it. I think our killer was shot, probably not badly, but they wanted to make sure that their DNA wasn't left behind. So they dug out the bullet and used bleach to destroy any evidence."

Castle came over to look at the hole. "This guy is smart. They obviously didn't have much time to cover their tracks, but they were still smart enough to remember the most telling clues."

"Beckett, come take a look." Lanie was holding the victim's shirt up, exposing his back. "I think our vic was targeted by Shadow Fox."

Beckett returned to Lanie's side and looked at the stab wounds. It was too early to see if there was any bruising, but the stab to the kidney was a good indication that this man may have been the latest victim of Shadow Fox.

Castle was thinking along the same lines. "Why would Shadow Fox kill him? Eliminate the competition?"

"Maybe." Beckett shook her head. "But I think it's more likely that this man may have known who Shadow Fox really was."

* * *

Another whiteboard was set up when Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct. Beckett put up what little information they had gathered. Esposito and Ryan had stayed to talk with the landlord once he arrived at the building. Beckett and Castle had stopped by the bank that Andreievich's account was registered with and they had confirmed that their dead guy was in fact Kirill Andreievich. To be safe, Beckett took his picture to the holding cells; Silverman went pale when he saw the photo, but he also confirmed that he was Andreievich.

Ryan and Esposito returned after talking with the landlord of their victim's building. Apparently the unit belonged to Charles Zanderfeild, and two other men lived with him: Kirill Andreievich and James Stein. The landlord said that he had only seen Zanderfeild, but that not seeing all the tenants of his building was not unusual. According to a neighbor who returned home while they were interviewing the landlord, only two men lived in the unit, Zanderfeild and a man who had to be his brother. When asked to clairify, they said that they had seen another man that looked just like Zanderfeild leaving the apartment a few times. Zanderfeild had short light brown hair and was clean shaven; his brother had longer, dark brown hair and some facial hair.

Beckett looked at the report CSU had emailed her. They had found a collection of disguises and a small selection of weapons at the apartment, including a silencer and boxes of ammunition that matched the slug from the James case. Empty bleach bottles had been found in the kitchen under the sink. The preliminary forensic report mentioned that CSU had been unable to find any foreign prints or usable DNA samples at the scene, including on the bleach bottles. Beckett added all the new information to the board and stood back to take it in. Lanie's autopsy report and the complete forensics report were still pending, but so far the profile of their victim was anything but clean. Beckett groaned. _This case is going nowhere fast_.

Castle summarized what they knew. "So our guy has three different identities, all of which the landlord knew about, but he only has a bank account for his Russian identity. Does any of this make sense to you?"

Beckett looked over at him. "What, no brilliant theory?"

Castle shook his head. "Nope, I got nothing. I've been working too hard on _Italian Heat_ I guess."

Esposito looked over at him. "_Italian Heat_? That's the title for the next book?"

Castle became defensive. "Yeah, why?"

Esposito shrugged. Beckett's phone rang as Esposito voiced his confusion and Castle defended himself.

"Beckett. Okay Lanie, we'll be right down." She hung up and interrupted the argument. "Lanie's ready for us. Ryan, Esposito, dig into Andreievich's other aliases. See if you can find other employers or victims. We might not have Shadow Fox yet, but we can at least try to close other cases."

The boys went to their desks. "On it."

Beckett and Castle headed for the elevator. Beckett hoped Lanie would have some good news for her.

* * *

Lanie started as soon as they walked in. "This is Shadow Fox's work. As you might expect, he had a few defensive wounds on his arms. But I found something interesting; the stab wound to the kidney was the one that killed him, but it wasn't the initial blow."

Beckett stopped near the body. "It wasn't?"

Lanie shook her head and then pulled down the sheet. "Nope. The first wound was the blow to his stomach. I know because I found traces of his stomach contents in the kidney shot. My guess, whoever Shadow Fox is, they needed to get under this guy's guard and threw the knife into his stomach."

Castle looked up. "Threw it, or stabbed him with it?"

Lanie looked at him. "Threw it. The knife, which was a Wingwalk by the way, penetrated only a fraction of its length, indicating that there wasn't much force behind it."

Beckett turned to Castle and completed Lanie's statement. "Meaning that it caused pain, and probably shocked Andreievich because that move would be unexpected."

Castle nodded and turned to Beckett. "Andreievich would have stopped fighting long enough for Shadow Fox to retrieve the knife and kill him with the usual M.O."

Beckett nodded. "T.O.D.?"

"About and hour before you got there." Lanie smiled and handed Beckett her autopsy report. "Everything I've found is in there."

Beckett took the folder. "Thanks. By the way, have you and Javier set a date yet?"

Lanie blushed. "Not yet, but only because the venue we want hasn't confirmed yet. I promise, when I know, you'll know. You're still going to be my Maid of Honor, right?"

Beckett smacked Lanie with the folder. "Of course, I already said I would."

* * *

Castle seemed pensive on the way back to the precinct. "Okay Rick, spill. What's got your attention?"

Castle smiled and turned to face Beckett. "You were asking her about when they were going to tie the knot, but you didn't say anything about our engagement."

Beckett shook her head. _With all the case stuff, I almost forgot_. "Well, I thought we were going to tell everyone together. Unless you want it to travel down the grapevine and end up on page six."

Castle's smile grew mischievous. "I want to shout it from the rooftops for the whole world to hear." Beckett went pale. "But, I promised you that I would keep it secret from the press until you were ready, and I intend to keep my word."

Beckett relaxed. "How about we tell the team tomorrow night, case closed or not. The Old Haunt sound good?"

Castle beamed. "Perfect. Oh, with everything that has been going on, I almost forgot. My publisher is throwing a gala for authors tonight. Did you want to come?"

Beckett contemplated for a moment, and then decided. "Okay, but I think we should arrive separately, just to avoid some cameras."

Castle chuckled. "How about this? We'll arrive together, but use a car service to take us through the underground parking entrance. Deal?"

Beckett nodded. "Deal."

* * *

Beckett put the information from the autopsy report on the board. _Shadow Fox claims another victim_. Esposito and Ryan came over to look at the board.

Esposito was shaking his head. "How many victims does this make now?"

Ryan answered. "If you count Alex, six."

"That we know of." Beckett tore he eyes from the board. "Where are we on Andreievich's financial records?"

Ryan went back to his desk. "We've identified at least 16 entries that probably indicate hits Andreievich accepted, but we don't know who those accounts belong to."

Beckett joined him at his desk. "So he was an active contract killer. Were all the accounts here in New York?"

Ryan's phone rang and Esposito took over. "No. The records we have only cover his time in the U.S. and its spotty at best. From what we can tell, he's been in the U.S. for about ten years, but he's only been in New York for a couple years. Half of the hits we identified so far were during the time he's been in New York, but they come from all over. A couple of them were international."

Beckett nodded. "Has ballistics sent up their report yet?"

Esposito held up a file. "The Berretta that was next to him was a match to the slug in the James case, so that one is closed now. We're currently tracking down some cold cases that originated around the time each of the payments were made to see if we can find matches to the other weapons. We'll let you know if we find anything."

Ryan hung up. "That was the Springfield P.D. from Battle Creek, Michigan. The Ruger 22-45 Pistol was a match in the assassination of a city council hopeful in 2008. They're taking over that case from here and will let us know if anything comes of it."

Beckett returned to her desk. "Good. Keep digging. I'm going to go. Castle's dragging me to a gala with his publisher tonight."

Ryan grinned. "Don't worry, we got this. Enjoy your evening."

Beckett rolled her eyes and shook her head as she gathered her coat. Castle was on his phone and didn't notice that she was gone until she was almost in the elevator. When the elevator bell dinged, he glanced up and saw her walking into the elevator. Castle hurriedly got up and sprinted for the lift as the boys chuckled and returned to their work.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I will confess that I almost forgot that I'd already engaged our favorite couple. As I said in the note after that chapter, I wasn't planning on doing that until later in the story. I promise that the big reveal for that will happen soon, though I'm not sure if it will happen in the next chapter or the one after that. Next chapter will begin in a very non-case related manner. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, but I'll try my best.**

**On another note, I wanted to leave a shout-out to RainneCassidy, the author of _Clinch,_ which is where I got the title **_**Italian Heat **_**from****. If you haven't read _Clinch_, it was a good story. Anyway, leave a review; it really is a big motivation for me. Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: There are a lot of Fics out there that have Kate and Rick fighting over money stuff, so I thought I would not add to that. I allude to the fact that they probably would have fights like this, but I didn't really go into it. Well maybe a little, but not really. And yes, I couldn't stay away from the case. Sorry. I'd also like to thank phnxgrl for her reviews.**

**And now, on to another fairly long chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 19

It's not that Kate hated getting dressed up and going to fancy places, she did. What she hated was the fact that Rick loved to get her the most expensive and beautiful dresses whenever they went somewhere. After years of living on a cop's salary, Kate found it difficult to accept the dresses without a pang of guilt. Not that she mentioned this to Rick these days. They'd had enough fights about it when she'd first moved in to last them a few years and then some. It had taken some time, but gradually, Kate had come to realize that he really was only doing it because he loved her, not because he felt the need to flaunt his wealth, or that he felt she needed or expected it. So she stopped complaining and started to try and appreciate the gesture.

Tonight's dress was as beautiful as it was simple. It was a dark, forest green, one shoulder, satin dress that hugged her curves until it reached her waist. From there it fell to the floor, loose and floating. At her waist, there was a soft, deep brown belt, the same texture as the dress, which buckled on her left hip. The buckle had a fancy clasp in the shape of an ornate rose. The excess of the belt fell to just past her knees, just like the green train that flowed from the strap over her shoulder, giving the dress an almost fairytale princess quality. Her shoes were strappy heels that matched the belt. Kate was stunned by its beauty. Rick knew her so well.

Kate slipped into the dress, did her makeup, and was just starting to do her hair when Rick walked in. He was wearing a tailored tuxedo and carrying a small box. He smiled when he saw Kate's refection in the bathroom mirror, and she smiled back, for once not feeling conflicted by the dress. When he opened the box however, those feelings returned.

"Rick…"

"Kate, hush. This is only on loan for the evening. I knew you wouldn't want to keep it, so I rented it." Kate relaxed. "I had to tell them that the woman wearing it was a cop so they wouldn't send an armed guard to keep an eye on it. They delivered it just now."

Inside the box was a sparkling diamond necklace and matching dangling earrings. Rick carefully fastened the necklace around her neck and she put the earrings on. Rick smiled again at her reflection and kissed her neck.

"Beautiful. I'm going to go check on the car service."

Kate gingerly touched the necklace. She shook her head and finished putting her hair up in a simple bun. With one last check of her makeup, Kate went back downstairs.

Martha was in the kitchen when Kate came down. "Oh, you look stunning Kate. That color really brings out the green in your eyes."

Kate blushed and Rick came out of his office and helped Kate into her coat. "The car is waiting for us downstairs in the garage. And mother is right, you look beautiful, Kate."

Kate ducked her head. "Thanks."

Martha bid them goodnight and they headed for the elevator.

Rick smirked as the elevator descended. "You know, I don't know why you still get embarrassed when someone says you're beautiful. It's the truth. Although, the way you blush every time is very attractive."

Kate rolled her eyes. "It's just embarrassing that people seem to be speechless when I put on a fancy dress. Nobody is like that when I'm wearing my normal clothes."

"That's not true." Rick kissed her cheek. "You always take my breath away."

Kate rolled her eyes again as the elevator stopped on the garage level and they got into their waiting car.

The Gala was in Glasshouse 21, at the Chelsea Arts Tower on West 25th between 10th and 11th Avenue. Several of Black Pawn's bestselling authors were there as well as authors from different publishers, including James Patterson and Alex Conrad, Castle's understudy and protégée. They chatted with most everyone, and Kate blushed often as she received many more compliments. There were waiters carrying trays of hors d'oeuvre and champagne around the space. The music that played was all the latest hits from the hottest artists, and some people danced in the tiny area provided. It felt like one of Rick's book launches, but Rick assured Kate that this was a normal party that Black Pawn threw every couple of years.

Kate was in awe of this party. Unlike Rick's book launches, the paparazzi were not allowed into the event itself; they were only allowed to take pictures of the arriving guests downstairs. By coming in through the underground garage, Kate and Rick had avoided them altogther. And there also weren't very many people in attendance who weren't associated with Black Pawn. A couple reporters had been allowed into the event, though their photographers were not. There was a photographer taking photos of couples and groups, so Rick and Kate posed for that and Rick slipped him a hundred to keep the photo from going to the press. Kate shook her head; he always surprised her with how well he understand her. There were a couple of slow songs, so Kate and Rick danced. Eventually, Gina got up to welcome a few authors to Black Pawn's bestseller list (Conrad was one of them) and to announce a few of the upcoming releases (_Italian Heat _was one of those). She also talked about a couple of programs in the community that Black Pawn was working with to help encourage kids to read and write. A couple authors got up to announce their retirements and then the party continued on its way.

After several hours, Kate and Rick slipped away and returned to the loft. Kate gingerly removed the necklace and earrings and Rick put them in his safe. The jewelry company was going to pick it up early the next morning. Kate carefully took off the dress and hung it up in the closet. They prepared to go to bed and cuddled for a little while, talking about the case and the party. Kate thanked Rick for being so thoughtful for her and he responded with his signature 'Always' before they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryan and Esposito were busy combing through Kirill Andreievich's three known identities. So far, they had found 12 more wire transfers over the ten years that he had lived in the United States. They had been able to track down possible locations of some of the hits by cross referencing them with airline ticket purchases and hotel bills. Of the 28 suspect payments to Andreievich, eight were located in New York, seven of them were possibly in other countries, 4 had been confirmed in other states, and the remaining nine hits were unaccounted for.

Ryan sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "We've only been able to confirm four of these hits. He committed 28 that we know of, and we don't even know if these are his only aliases."

Esposito sat back too. "At least it's 4 more cases that are closer to being closed. And even if these aren't the only aliases that he used, we are digging through his past with a fine toothed comb. We'll get there."

Ryan nodded and glanced at his watch. "Crap. I was supposed to be home an hour ago." He pulled out his phone. "Jenny. I'm so sorry. Esposito and I were going through some financial records and I lost track of time."

Esposito started stacking up the papers. "Hi, Jenny!"

Ryan smiled. "Javier says hi. Yeah, I'm on my way now. See you in a bit. I love you, honey." He hung up. "I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

Esposito nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. I got this."

Ryan put on his coat. "Thanks man. Tell Lanie hi for me."

Esposito looked toward the elevator. "Tell her yourself."

Ryan looked up. "Hi Lanie."

Lanie approached the boys. "Hey Ryan."

Esposito smiled. "Hey, Chica. You ready to get going?"

Lanie nodded. "Just finished with a suicide. I can't wait to go home."

Esposito gave her a kiss. "Let me just put these away, and then I am yours. See ya Ryan."

Ryan stepped in to the elevator. "Have a good one."

* * *

The next morning, Beckett and Castle arrived at the precinct to find that the boys weren't there.

Castle checked the break room before sitting down. "I wonder where they are."

Karpowski stopped as she walked past. "You just missed them. They fielded a couple calls and then left, I'd say about twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks Karpowski." Karpowski nodded and Beckett took a sip of her coffee. Castle still looked confused. "They're probably just chasing down a lead. They're big boys, they can handle themselves."

Castle shrugged. "I guess. I just thought they might want to share what they've found."

Beckett pointed at the board. "Of the seven guns found at Andreievich's place, five matched ten murders committed in the U.S. and the other two matched cases in the U.K. I think the boys have made a lot of headway." Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Hey Ryan, what's up? Okay, we'll meet you there."

Castle sat up. "What'd they find?"

Beckett stood up. "I don't know. He just gave me an address. Come on, let's find out."

* * *

Beckett pulled the car up to a storage facility 20 minutes later. Castle got out and looked up at the building.

"You do realize this is the same storage place that the dirty bomb was kept in, right?"

Beckett shrugged. "Lot's of stuff is stored here. It's a storage palace."

Castle fell into step with her. "But doesn't that concern you a little?"

Beckett shook her head. "Well, the hazmat team isn't here, so whatever they found can't have been that sinister." They walked up to where Ryan and Esposito were waiting. "So, what'd you find?"

Ryan started. "CSU found a key at Andreievich's place during their sweep. We didn't think anything of it until this morning while we were getting calls from other P.D.'s about our Ballistics report. We realized that the guns found at his place only matched the bullets in just a few hits. So we went through the evidence again and found the key."

Esposito took over. "Found out the key was to one of the storage units here and we got a warrant."

Beckett waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "And?"

The boys grinned at each other. "You are definitely gonna want to see this."

Beckett and Castle followed the boys up to the storage unit. Inside were guns, lots of guns. Castle let out a low whistle while Beckett stepped inside to take a closer look.

"Smith and Wesson, Walther, Ruger, Kel-Tec, CZ. He had quite the collection."

Esposito opened one of the large cases on the ground. "He even has a couple Russian and American sniper rifles."

Castle spoke up. "They should change the motto of this place. 'Now equipped for all your storage needs. Assassins and terrorists welcome.'"

Esposito looked at Beckett for clarification. "This is the same storage facility where the dirty bomb was stored."

Esposito nodded in understanding. "That's why this place looked familiar. Anyway, CSU should be here soon, and then Ballistics can get to work."

"Great." Beckett took one last look around the storage unit. "I want you guys to stay on top of the Ballistics guys. Castle and I will head back to the precinct and see if we can find out more about Andreievich."

As Beckett walked back to the car, she had the feeling that she was being watched. She looked up and saw a hooded figure looking in her direction from across the street. A car drove by, and when it was passed, the figure was gone. Beckett watched the other side of the street for a while, but the figure never returned.

Castle was looking from Beckett to where she was looking. "What's up?"

Beckett shook her head. "I thought I saw something."

Beckett crossed the street and Castle followed. Beckett searched the almost deserted sidewalk for the hooded figure, but saw nothing until she reached the spot where it had stood. In the snow, footprints were visible. Beckett took a photo of the footprints and then searched the surrounding area for more, but found none.

Castle was looking down an alley that was only a few feet away. "I guess someone could have snuck down this way, but I don't see anything."

Beckett nodded. "Let's go back to the precinct. We've got some work to do."

* * *

When they returned to the precinct, Beckett e-mailed the picture of the footprints to forensics. She then opened up the file with all the information they had on Andreievich. Castle pulled his chair around, and together, they read the file. What interested Beckett the most was the detailed report that the boys had compiled from the Ballistics report, the financial records, and their own detective work.

The Beretta U22 Neos was a match to both the James case and a case in California in '03 where a school teacher from a private school had been murdered in a pop and drop outside her own home. The Walther P99 was a match to a cold case in London; a political hopeful had been killed in what appeared to be a carjacking in '06. The Jericho 941 was a match in two cases. The first was a pop and drop in Texas in '04; the victim had been an electrician. The second case was in Chicago in '05 where the leader of a violent street gang was killed in a drive by.

The Torkarev TT-33 was used in Scotland in '05 on a law student who had been suspected of cheating to achieve his perfect record. The Beretta .25ACP Model 21 had been used in two incidents; both at concerts, but in different states. The first was in Minnesota in '03 where a college student in attendance was killed right in the middle of the concert; no one noticed for at least 15 minutes. The second was in Chicago in '04 where the daughter of a corrupt CEO was murdered.

The Heckler and Koch USP Match had been used in '09 and '10. In the '09 hit, the victim was an Electrical Engineer professor in Oregon; in '10, it had been used in Texas on a Catholic Priest who had been accused of molesting several boys. The last gun found at Andreievich's place was a Ruger 22-45 Pistol. It matched two cases; the first was a cold case in Colorado in '07 where a lawyer had been killed. That case had been ruled a robbery-homicide. The second case was from Battle Creek, Michigan where the city council hopeful had been assassinated in '08.

Castle sat back. "Andreievich was smart. He never used the same gun in the same state twice."

Beckett sat back and stared at the board. "Twelve cases that are closer to a solve. He had a lot to answer for. Too bad he's dead."

Castle was looking at his phone. "Cool. That Heckler and Koch gun was the same kind that Lara Croft used in Tomb Raider."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Great. Did he own Bond's gun too?"

Castle shook his head. "No, that one is a Walther PPK. But the P99 is close."

Beckett checked her email. "Ah, forensics got back to me already. They say the footprints are a match to Tretorn unisex rain boots, men's size 7.5/women's size 9."

Castle put his chair back in its spot. "So, no leads on that." He checked the bullpen for nearby people and lowered his voice. "Is the ring still in the drawer?"

Beckett snuck a peek. "Yes, its still there. How are you planning on getting everyone to the Old Haunt without making it sound like we're going to make an announcement?"

Castle got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Well, I was thinking of masked gunmen kidnapping them and transporting them into the bar through the underground tunnels. But I don't think the boys would take too kindly to that. Not after Lockwood a few years ago."

Beckett's eyes grew tight. _Lockwood had tortured the boys and killed Montgomery_. "You think?" Her voice was strained.

"Oh, Kate, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about what Lockwood did to Roy." Castle reached across the desk to take her hands in his. "I'm sorry."

Beckett shook her head. "It's been years, but it's still hard to think about it." She cleared her throat. "You were saying about tonight?"

Castle sat back again. "I'll just tell them that, after all the hard work we've done on this case, it would be a good idea to just kick back for the evening. Sort of a 'good work, look at all the cases that are closer to being closed' sort of thing. And I'll tell Ryan to have Jenny come too so that he can't wiggle out of it."

Beckett nodded and smiled. "You get the boys, I'll get Lanie." The elevator bell dinged. "Here they come. You're up, Kitten."

Castle glared at her and stood up to greet the boys. "Hey…"

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this chapter required a lot of research (mostly for all the guns). I've never been to a big, fancy gala thing before, so I have no idea what they would be like. I just compiled together info from all the fancy events Castle and Beckett have been to on the show. I think the gala scene is mostly to show that they have a life outside the precinct. Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: I know I said we'd be done with Andreievich in this chapter, but I wasn't able to get everything I wanted in it, so we will see him a little in the next one too. Sorry. I'd also like to thank southerngirl1 for her review. I'm glad you liked it!**

**Just a word of warning, this chapter is mainly just a filler chapter. There's not much forward progress on the Peterman case front. And this is also a bit of a longer chapter, so enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20

Castle left early to make sure the Old Haunt would be ready for the private group that night. He claimed that he had to go to another thing with his publisher and would meet them there, but Beckett knew that he was making sure that there wouldn't be any press at the bar when they made the big announcement. Beckett hid a smile as she opened the drawer and saw the tiny box.

Esposito and Ryan were busy cross checking the latest ballistics reports with the rest of Andreievich's hits. Since this morning, they had found another identity and thirty additional hits. The new identity came from a French passport that had been found in the case of the VKS, a Russian-made sniper rifle. The name was Montague Lefevre; he was a suspect in the death of a Commandant Alexandre Galgachus of the French Armed Forces on '09. Beckett was sure that Andreievich had left the passport in the case because it was on Interpol's watch list, making it too dangerous to use.

Ryan hung up his phone and went to update the board. Now, twenty-three of the fifty-eight hits they had identified had a matching gun and cold case. Beckett sighed. They were a long way away from done, but they were getting there. She glanced at her watch; it was 6:30. Castle wanted everyone to meet at the Old Haunt at 8:00. She decided she would leave around 7:15 to join Castle before the rest of them showed up.

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett."

"_This is Detective Stokes of the L.V.P.D. Cold Case Unit. I think we have a case that matched a gun you recently seized._"

Beckett grabbed the hits list and ballistics report. "What was the case?"

Parker cleared his throat. "_The case was on October 5__th__ of '07. The victim was the Police Commissioner at the time; Commissioner James Brass. He was gunned down in the parking lot of a diner near police headquarters. The bullets match the M1911A1 you found._"

"Let me just see if the financials reflect this." Beckett checked the financial records from '07. "Yes, I have an airline ticket purchase on October 1st under Charles Zanderfield's records, and a payment of $200,000 to Kirill Andreievich's account on September 30th."

Beckett could hear a pen scratching away on the other end of the phone. "_So it was a two person team._"

"No, Zanderfield is one of Andreievich's aliases." Beckett grabbed a pen. "Let me have your email address, and I'll send a copy of our records to you."

Detective Parker read off the information and Beckett sent the files his way. After they hung up, Beckett updated the board; twenty-four cases that had matches. Beckett checked her watch again. It was 6:45. _Why does the clock move so slowly?_ Beckett shook her head. She was actually eager to leave the precinct. Her mind drifted to her father. He still didn't know that she was getting married. Beckett carefully transferred the ring box from the drawer to her bag. Without the complete forensics report, there wasn't much more she could do that Ryan and Esposito couldn't handle. She stood up and gathered her things.

Ryan looked up. "Leaving early?"

Beckett quickly thought of an excuse that wouldn't sound suspicious. "Yeah, I've got to call my dad. He's been having a tough time lately."

Esposito turned around. "What's up?"

Beckett smiled. _They really were like family, weren't they?_ "He's been thinking a lot about my mom; she's been dead fifteen years now. I just like to call him and see how he's doing."

Ryan nodded. "Tell him we say 'hi'."

Beckett nodded. "I will. See you later."

* * *

Kate drove to the loft before she made the call. "Hey Dad."

"Katie, how are you?"

Kate smiled. "Fantastic. Ryan and Esposito say hi. Listen, I'm calling because I wanted you to be the first to know. Rick proposed; it was actually last week, but we've been super busy with a couple cases."

Jim Beckett chuckled. "Katie, Rick came to me a couple months ago and asked for my permission. I've been waiting for this call ever since. Are you happy with him?"

Kate nodded, and then remembered that her dad couldn't see her. "Yes. It took me a long time to realize it, but yes, I'm happy. I just wish mom was around to see it."

Jim's voice became a little sad. "I know Katie, I do too. But, I believe that she is here to see it, even if we can't see her. And I know she's happy for you."

A tear ran down Kate's cheek. "Thanks Dad. I've got to go. Rick and I are telling our friends tonight and I've got to get down there. Hey, let's do lunch tomorrow. I'd like to see you."

Jim chuckled again. "Lunch sounds great. Same place?"

Kate smiled. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow. I love you."

Kate could hear the smile in her dad's voice. "I love you too, Katie."

Kate hung up the phone and slipped the ring onto her hand. She gazed at it for a long time before she hailed a cab and headed to the Old Haunt.

* * *

When Kate arrived, Rick was waiting outside to meet her. "I thought you'd want to get here a little early. And you're wearing the ring."

Kate planted a finger on his lips. "Shh. Not so loud." They went into the bar. "I was thinking on my way over here. I'm going to wear the ring, but act like nothing as different and see how long it takes for them to figure it out."

Castle smirked. "My money's on Lanie."

Kate elbowed him. "My money was on Lanie. Okay, how about how long it takes her from the time she notices the ring to when she figures it out."

Rick nodded as he hung her coat up. "Deal. I say two minutes."

Kate shook her head. "Lanie is way smarter than that. I'm going with thirty seconds."

Rick hung up his coat. "Winner is whoever's closest?"

Kate nodded and looked around. "Are we the only ones here?"

Rick nodded. "The D.J. should be here soon, and the bartender is doing inventory while we're closed down. I thought it should be a private party. You guys deserve it."

Kate turned to kiss him. "We all deserve it. Don't forget, you are a pretty big part of the team."

Rick smiled and indulged in another kiss. "How's the case coming?"

Kate sat down at the bar. "Last I saw, twenty-four of the fifty-eight possible hits have found matches. By the end of the week, we should have forwarded enough information to cover them all and get ours closed up."

Rick joined her. "Good. Has forensics finished up yet?"

Kate shook her head as a young man in a T-shirt walked past. "Not yet. Should have their report by tomorrow morning."

Rick excused himself to talk to the D.J. for a minute; Kate waited until he came back. "I called my dad to let him know. He says you asked for permission two months ago." She got a playful glint in her eye. "Why'd it take you so long to ask me?"

Rick shrugged. "I was waiting for the right time. I didn't want a repeat of my last two proposals. Both times, I had elaborately planned out affairs. They were big and showy, but they weren't really romantic or special. I mean I tried, but somehow, that was what ruined it." Rick looked up at Kate. "And then I remembered what you said about women wanting it to be more intimate, and Ryan's proposal to Jenny popped into my head; the way he was able to make it a very intimate moment in the middle of the precinct with everyone watching. The thing that made that proposal so special was that the timing was perfect. So I was waiting for the timing to just feel right. No big, elaborate plans; just us and that moment."

Kate smiled. "And that's all it took to make it perfect." She glanced at her watch. "Its 8:00. They should be arriving any minute now."

As if on cue, Esposito and Lanie walked in the door. They also seemed surprised the bar was empty, so Rick stood up to greet them.

"I thought it should be just us, some food, and some music tonight. Tony, let's get this party started." The D.J. turned the music on. "Ryan's still coming, right?"

Esposito hung Lanie's coat up. "Yeah, he just went home to get Jenny. He should be here soon."

Kate kept her left hand out of sight while the group started to gather around the big table in the center of the room. The bartender brought out the appetizers just as Ryan and Jenny walked in. Everyone ordered some food and drinks. When the bartender collected the menus, Kate made sure that she used her left hand to give it back to him.

Lanie's eyes went wide. "Oh my – Kate, when did Castle give you that?"

Kate laughed. "Pay up, Castle."

Rick held up his hand. "Not yet. Lanie when did you see the ring?"

Lanie was still in a little shock. "Just now when she handed her menu back. Girl, let me see that."

Kate reached her left hand across the table while Rick forked over the money. "Rick proposed last week. We were going to tell you after the Evans case, but then Shadow Fox came up and we didn't have the time."

Lanie slapped Kate's hand while everyone else offered their congratulations. "It's beautiful. You're not going to be wearing it at work though, are you?"

Kate shook her head. "Not on my hand. I'll wear it on the chain my mother's ring is on." Suddenly, she was a little chocked up.

Lanie smiled. "She's proud of you."

Kate smiled through her unshed tears. "Thanks."

Jenny came around and gave Kate a hug. "Congrats Kate. Castle's a good man. Though I'm sure my husband would have a little something to say if he ever hurts you."

Kate returned the hug. "I know. Unfortunately, I think he would have to get in line. Knowing Lanie, she'd probably beat him to it."

Rick cringed dramatically while everyone laughed. The drinks arrived just then and Ryan held up his glass. "A toast. May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet, trials to keep you strong, success to make you eager, friends to give you comfort, wealth to meet your needs, enthusiasm to look for tomorrow, and a growing love to make each day better than the day before."

Rick held up a hand "Thanks, but let's leave the toasts for the wedding. Tonight, we're just going to have fun."

Ryan held up his hands defensively. "Hey man, that's a traditional Irish engagement toast. You better be careful, its bad luck to turn down a toast."

Rick grinned. "Sorry Ryan. I'm going to go with the 'I'm not Irish' card. I'd assume that there are some traditional Irish wedding toasts too?"

Ryan wagged his eyebrows. "Don't worry; I'm saving the wedding ones for later."

Jenny laughed and patted her husband on the shoulder. The food arrived just then, and everyone dug in. Conversation turned from the newest engagement to the upcoming wedding. Lanie refused to reveal where they were getting married; she only said they were waiting for them to confirm. When everyone got a refill on their drinks, Kate noticed that Jenny was only drinking water. Ryan must have noticed Kate thinking about it, because when she went to ask, Ryan cleared his throat.

"Jenny and I also have an announcement to make. We are expecting another baby. We don't know what it'll be yet, but the due date should be sometime in August."

A round of congratulations later, Ryan and Jenny were both blushing and beaming. Everyone finished eating and the boys wandered over to the dartboard. The women sat talking and watching as Rick hit almost everything but the board; Ryan and Esposito were engaged in a game of trash-talk while they played. Finally Ryan won, prompting Esposito to call an immediate rematch. Rick bowed out, so Ryan and Esposito persuaded Kate to take his spot. One game later though, they were sorry they did when Kate creamed them.

Around 10, the bar reopened and the D.J. slowed the music down. The regular crowd shuffled in and Kate recognized that a couple of them were reporters. She quickly removed her ring and put it in her pocket. _No need to tempt fate_.

Rick stood up. "Let's dance."

Kate recognized the song. It was "A Love that Will Last" by Renee Olstead. Kate smiled and took Rick's offered hand. Many couples were on the dance floor by now, so Rick and Kate joined them, swaying slowly with the music.

I want a little something more

Don't want the middle or the one before

I don't desire a complicated past

I want a love that will last

Say that you love me

Say I'm the one

Don't kiss and hug me, and then try to run

I don't do drama

My tears don't fall fast

I want a love that will last

I don't want a just a memory

Give me forever

Don't even think about saying good-bye

'Cause I just want one love to be enough

And remain in my heart till I die

So call me romantic

Oh I guess that's so

There's something more that you oughta know

I'll never leave you

So don't even ask

I want a love that will last

Forever

I want a love that will last

I don't want a just a memory

Give me forever

Don't even think about saying good-bye

'Cause I just want one love to be enough

And remain in my heart till I die

So there's just a little more that I need

(More that I need)

I wanna share all the air that you breathe

I'm not the kind of girl to complicate the past

I want a love that will last

Forever

I want a love that will last

Always

I just want a love that will last

I want a love that will last

After the song ended, Rick checked his watch. "We better get home if we want to Skype with Alexis tonight."

Kate nodded. "Good idea. We have something important to tell her."

They returned to the table. Ryan was helping Jenny into her coat, and Esposito was finishing off his beer. Lanie gave Kate a hug and they all said goodnight, parting at the curb. Kate and Rick hailed a cab and they hurried home.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was bigger than I thought it would be so I split it into two. I never intended on making this a songfic, but that song seemed appropriate here. And the toast Ryan gives really is a toast that would be given at an Irish Engagement party. Let me know what you thought. I'll try and get the next chapter posted by the end of the week.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and ChellGallifreya221B613 for their reviews. I love that people are still finding this story! Thanks! This chapter also starts out non-case related, but it gets back to the case quickly. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21

When they returned to the loft, Rick pulled out his laptop and called Alexis. Kate slipped her ring out of her pocket and put it back on.

Alexis' face appeared on the laptop's screen. "Hi Dad, hi Kate."

Castle was so happy to see his little girl. "Hey, Pumpkin. How is school going?"

Alexis heaved a dramatic sigh. "I'm getting swamped with papers. I can't remember when the last time I got a full night's sleep was. Creative writing is going well though."

"You better be; I'd be very upset if you weren't doing well in that, especially since that's what I do for a living." Rick smiled. "How about the anthropology class?"

Alexis shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think I'm doing okay, but who knows. I know I'm passing my Chemistry class, I just don't know what the final will be."

"So where are you now?" Kate was looking at the decorations behind Alexis. "This doesn't look like your dorm."

Alexis smiled. "Yeah, I'm staying at Amanda's parents over the weekend. Someone set a part of our dorm building on fire with a curling iron, so we've had to find alternate living situations while they sort that out. We should be back in the dorms next week."

Kate was confused. "Amanda?"

Alexis quickly explained. "Amanda Asvekar. She's the one getting married after finals are over. She is so excited to be getting married. She keeps reminding us that final fittings are next Friday; I'll get to see if my dress is ready."

Kate glanced at Rick. "Speaking of marriage…"

Alexis squealed. "You're engaged?"

Kate held up her hand. "For about a week now."

Alexis leaned forward to look at the ring. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Rick's mouth dropped open. "Hey…"

Alexis and Kate laughed. "Just kidding, Dad."

Rick pouted. "That is so not funny."

Alexis grinned. "I'm sorry. But it was too good an opportunity to pass up."

Rick smiled. "I have taught you well, haven't I?"

Alexis nodded. "Yep. Anyway, congratulations! Dad, may the third time be the charm. When are you going to tie the knot?"

Kate glanced at Rick. "We haven't decided yet. And right now everything is hush-hush, so don't go telling everyone."

Alexis smiled. "Yeah, don't worry, I won't go sharing. Have you told the precinct yet?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, we got together for a private party at the Haunt. And we got a surprise too. Ryan and Jenny are expecting another baby. They're due sometime in August."

Alexis grinned. "That's great! Tell them congrats from me. Hey, have Lanie and Esposito set a date yet?"

Kate shook her head. "Not yet. At least they haven't told us yet. They're waiting for confirmation from the venue, so they know when they want it to be. But they won't tell us where the venue is either."

"So how are things going with Amanda's wedding?" Rick was curious about what his daughter was up to. "Dress fitting is next Friday, what else is going on?"

Alexis shrugged. "Pretty much everything is done; we're just getting the finishing touches done. Mandy is keeping us busy with that. How's Gram doing? I talked to her last week, but we've been playing phone tag ever since."

Rick laughed. "Her school is doing well. Apparently enrollment is up and they're all very enthusiastic."

Kate nodded. "One of the students just got a role in an off Broadway production. Martha was very excited about that."

Alexis smiled. "Good. How's her play doing? Did it get to change venue?"

Rick shook his head. "No, it ended a few days ago."

Alexis was looking away from the screen. "Okay, I'll be right there." She turned back to the screen. "I've got to go. Mandy needs me to help her with a couple things. I'll talk to you later. Congratulations. I love you guys."

Rick and Kate smiled. "Love you too. Bye Alexis."

The screen went blank and Rick shut the laptop down. Kate went to get a glass of water. When she turned around, Rick had a confused look on his face.

Kate leaned across the bar. "What's wrong?"

Rick shrugged. "She didn't say anything about Ashley."

Kate shook her head. "Rick, I think they broke up. Remember how she wouldn't say much about him the last time she called?"

Rick nodded. "Their relationship was on the rocks wasn't it?"

Kate nodded and came around the bar to sit next to him. "Now the relationship is over, but it's painful and she doesn't want to talk about it. She's a growing woman. She'll figure it out."

Rick leaned in for a kiss. "You are so smart. How did I get so lucky?"

Kate smiled and returned the kiss. "I had to arrest you. Remember?"

Rick got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Care for an encore?"

Kate returned the look and stood, leading Rick into their bedroom.

* * *

Beckett and Castle arrived at the precinct early the next day to find a forensics report on her desk. Ryan was just arriving as well, and Esposito hadn't gotten there yet. Beckett shrugged out of her coat and sat down. She picked up the report folder and found a single sheet of paper inside. Most of the report dealt with gunshot residue, metal fragments, and dirt, but CSU had found a single hair at the scene as well. DNA results were a match to Alexandra Stevens.

Ryan had just reached that part of the report too. "Alex was in Andreievich's storage unit?"

Esposito walked in. "What about Alex?"

Beckett held up the forensics report. "Forensics just got back and they found Alex's hair in the storage unit."

Esposito sat down. "I thought she was in Seattle."

"Call Hardy and Drew and find out when she left." Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Oh hey, Lanie. What's up? Now? Okay, I'll be right there." Beckett hung up. "Lanie wants to see me. See what you guys can find out. I'll be back in a bit."

Castle stood up. "What should I do?"

Beckett looked at Castle. "You're a big boy; I think you can come up with something."

* * *

Beckett entered the morgue to find Lanie wasn't there. "Lanie?"

Lanie's voice came from the back room. "In here. Be right out."

Beckett took a seat off to the side as Lanie emerged. "What'd you find?"

Lanie sat down with a laugh. "Oh, I didn't call you here to talk about the case."

Beckett looked confused. "Okay, so what did you call to talk about?"

Lanie shrugged. "You tell me. Castle, you, that big rock around your neck. How is it that the day before yesterday, we can talk about my marriage plans, but you say nothing about your engagement?"

Beckett grinned. "You know, Castle asked me the same thing after we left that day. So I'll tell you what I told him. I just didn't want the news to travel down the grapevine and end up in the newspaper before I was ready for all that."

Lanie shook her head. "I should smack you. You were engaged a whole week before you said anything. I told you the next morning."

Beckett nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you."

Lanie nodded. "Apology accepted. Now, what are your plans?"

Beckett shook her head. "Lanie, we just got engaged. Castle and I haven't even begun to plan anything. But I do know that I'd like you to be my Maid of Honor, if that's all right with you."

Lanie smiled. "I would be delighted to. Now, because I'm such a good friend and I always tell you things when I know them…"

Beckett interrupted with a laugh. "You and Esposito were dating for eight weeks before you said anything. We knew before you told us, but the point is that you didn't tell us for weeks."

Lanie held up a hand. "Fair enough, we didn't say anything about us dating, but after you knew, I've made it a point to let you know the important stuff. So, I just want you to know that the venue called this morning and confirmed. Javier and I are getting married on July 30th at the Conservatory Gardens. The ceremony will be in the French Garden."

Beckett hugged Lanie. "Congrats! Lanie, that's perfect. It's going to be beautiful."

Lanie nodded. "I know. But don't tell everyone just yet. Javier and I are going to announce it over lunch at the precinct."

Beckett smiled. "I promise. But I'm not going to be there at lunch today."

Lanie looked crestfallen. "Why not?"

Beckett patted Lanie's hand. "I'm meeting my father for lunch so that I can talk to him about my engagement in person. I mean, he knows I'm engaged, I just want to let him see the ring and everything."

Lanie smiled. "That's so sweet. Okay, I'll just tell them that I told you when you told me about your lunch with your dad today."

Beckett smiled. "Great idea. Anyway, I should get back. Congrats Lanie, I'm so happy for you."

Lanie hugged Beckett again. "Thanks. You too, by the way. Have fun with your dad."

* * *

When Beckett got back to her desk, Beckett was greeted by a surprise.

Esposito was waiting by her desk for her. "Alex didn't get transferred to Seattle. She's been working a small time case in the Bronx. We asked her to come in. She's waiting for you in I1."

Beckett raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Okay. I'll go see what she has to say."

Alex sat up when Beckett and Castle came in. "From the fact that I'm sitting in the box, this isn't a social visit."

Beckett sat down. "No, it's not. What can you tell me about this man?" Beckett pushed a photo of Andreievich across the table.

Alex leaned forward. "Big and scary. Don't want to meet in a dark alley. Not Shadow Fox. Why?"

Beckett almost smiled. "His name was Kirill Andreievich. He was Shadow Fox's latest victim. Ever seen him before?"

Alex shook her head. "Nope, and I wouldn't want to. Shadow Fox managed to kill a beast like him?"

Beckett put the photo back in the folder. "Yeah."

"Wow." Alexis looked surprised. "But there's something that I don't get. Why am I here?"

Beckett leaned forward. "Your hair was found in a storage unit that belonged to one of Andreievich's aliases. I'm trying to figure out why that is."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Are we back to thinking I'm the Shadow Fox?"

Castle sat up. "Next time you kill someone, don't leave any evidence behind."

"If I were an assassin, I wouldn't be stupid enough to go to a storage unit my victim owned and leave my hair behind." Alex looked thoughtful. "What facility did he use?"

Beckett looked at her notes. "North Manhattan Storage."

Alex looked surprised. "Which unit?"

Beckett glanced at the notes again. "C643."

Alex chuckled. "I moved into that unit about a year ago and moved out just before I started at Bretz and Coven. Did you know that storage facilities rarely clean out their empty units? When I first got that unit, I spent two days cleaning out all the crap that was left behind; dirt, cobwebs, and who knows what else. When I moved out, I cleaned it out again. I guess I might have left a hair behind."

Beckett sat back. "What would you need a storage unit for?"

Alex smiled. "Hardy and Drew employees move around a lot. We are supposed to have apartments that coincide with our 'previous employment' and the future position. Before Bretz and Coven, I was working for a small company that helped people file their taxes. So I was in a much smaller apartment than the one I had at Bretz and Coven. Most of my stuff had to go into a storage unit because it didn't fit in the apartment."

There was a knock on the glass. Beckett and Castle stood and left the room.

Esposito was waiting for them outside. "I managed to get a hold of the ledger from North Manhattan Storage. The previous tenet of that unit was Christina Stanley."

Castle shook his head. "She lied to us."

Esposito held up a hand. "Not so fast. I called Hardy and Drew. They confirmed that before she was Jessica Gardner, her alias was Christina Stanley."

Beckett nodded. "Did forensics get back on the age of the hair?"

Esposito shook his head. "The storage unit was a controlled environment. That hair could have been a few years old."

Beckett and Castle re-entered I1. "What name did you rent the unit under?"

Alex sat back and thought. "Before I was Jessica, I was…Oh, Christina Stanley."

Beckett wrote the name down. "And where were you the afternoon two days ago."

Alex put her head on her hand. "Two days ago, I had the day off, so I went to the movies at the Coliseum Cinemas. I used my current credit card to buy the ticket. My current alias is Sara Torgerson."

Beckett wrote down the name and stood up. "Stay here for a moment."

Ryan was at his computer when they left I1. "We have a credit card purchase for Coliseum Cinemas for Sara Torgerson. Purchased at 1:15."

Esposito was on the phone. "Theater is checking their security footage." He went back to phone. "Yeah, I'm still here. She is? At 1:16. Okay, what movie did she go into? Love's Lost Secret. And what time did she leave? 4:20? Okay, thank you." He put the phone in its cradle. "Enters the theater before T.O.D. and leaves after we arrived."

Castle looked up from his phone. "That movie's only two hours long. She was there for over three hours?"

Beckett nodded. "Get there early to see the previews reel and stay till the credits stop rolling." She went back to the interrogation room. "You're free to go. Security footage clears you."

Alex stood and Beckett thought she saw a flicker of pain. But a moment later, she dismissed it as the lighting when Alex strode passed and confidently stuck out her hand.

"Maybe we can see each other in a non-case situation next time."

Beckett shook Alex's hand. "That'd be nice."

Castle held out his hand. "How about you join our poker game at the end of the month?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how to play."

Castle feigned shock. "What? Don't worry, you can come to learn or just hang out. What do you say?"

Alex smiled. "Sure. Just let me know when and where."

Castle walked Alex to the elevator. Beckett returned to her desk and looked at the board. Forty-one hits had been matched to cold cases. Beckett sighed; the Shadow Fox angle was dead again and Andreievich's hits were almost completely accounted for. It was time to put this case to bed. Until the identity of Shadow Fox was discovered, they had nothing to go on. Beckett hated that the case wasn't completely solved.

Castle seemed to read her mind when he returned to his seat. "Hate that it's not entirely solved?"

Beckett nodded. "It's like my mother's case. I just don't want this one to take 13 years to be solved."

Castle nodded. "If there's one thing that I know about you, it's that you will solve it, even if it takes 13 years."

Beckett smiled. "Thanks. I've got to go. I have a lunch date with my dad."

Castle smiled. "I'll get lunch for the boys and see if we can't find the remaining seventeen cold cases by the time you get back."

Beckett nodded. "Pick up a little extra. Lanie was planning on coming up for a visit today."

Castle nodded and gave her a kiss. "Tell your dad 'thank you' for me."

Beckett looked up at him quizzically. "What for?"

Castle smiled. "For you."

* * *

**A/N: So Andreievich isn't gone just yet. I swear, sometimes it seems like he refuses to die or something. But I promise we will be done with him next chapter. ****Thanks for reading, and don't forget to post a review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and Meghan for their reviews. The feedback is really great! To Meghan, when I started writing this story, I had no intention of posting it anywhere either. Don't be too afraid to go outside your comfort zone. PM me; I'd love to hear more about what you're working on!**

**As promised, this really is the last chapter that Andreievich is in. It is also a shorter one because there really wasn't much left to the case by this point. The chapter starts with Kate's lunch with her dad. I feel like it was a sweet way for Kate to let her dad in on the whole engagement thing. Better than just the phone call at least. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 22

Kate arrived at the diner and spotted her father sitting in his normal booth. He smiled as she entered and she returned the smile as she walked over. He stood and gave her a hug before gesturing to the seat across from him.

Kate sat down. "Hi Dad."

Jim smiled as he sat. "Hi Katie. Come on, let me see it."

Kate took off her necklace and handed it across the table to him. Jim's eyes tightened with emotion when he saw his wife's wedding ring next to what had to be his daughter's engagement ring. Kate smiled and ducked her head. She understood what her dad could see and knew how he felt. He cleared his throat and held up the new ring to get a good look at it.

Finally, Jim gave the necklace back to Kate. "It's beautiful, Katie. Johanna would be so proud of you. As am I."

Kate smiled and put the necklace back on. "Thanks Dad. I miss her." A waitress came and took their orders; Jim ordered the All-American Burger and Fries while Kate went with the Teriyaki Burger and a garden salad.

Jim waited until the waitress left before continuing their conversation. "I'm guessing I'd be correct in saying the two of you are keeping it quiet for now?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I don't want the paparazzi showing up at all my crime scenes because of this."

Jim nodded. "But the news will get out."

Kate shrugged. "Rick said he was going to talk to his publicist and see if they can figure out a way to leak the news to the press without making a huge deal about it. Hopefully that will keep the vultures at bay. I remember how bad it got when the media first found out that Rick and I were together."

Jim gestured toward the necklace. "And you wear the ring in a non-traditional way to keep it out of sight."

Kate nodded. "That, and it would just get in the way on the job. When Rick and I make it official, I'll make sure he gets me a simple band to wear at work. Knowing him, he'll want to get me some elaborate thing though."

Jim chuckled. "He will be a little disappointed by that."

Kate shook her head. "He'll just get me both; the work ring and the out-on-the-town ring." She glanced over and saw a couple staring at them. "I think people are trying to listen in. Can we talk about something else for a bit?"

Jim smiled and changed the subject. "So, Shadow Fox. What have you found?"

Kate talked about the current case as their orders arrived. The couple that had been watching turned away and seemed to stop listening in. Eventually the conversation turned to what Jim was up to with work and how Kate's team was doing. Kate told her father that Ryan and Jenny were expecting a baby sometime in August and that Lanie and Esposito had finally set a date.

Jim's eyes twinkled. "When are you and Rick tying the knot?"

Kate blushed. "We haven't talked about it yet. I'm not ready to make it official right now, but soon. Don't worry; I'll let you know as soon as we set a date."

Jim smiled. "I'm just glad that I'm going to get the chance to walk my little girl down the aisle."

Kate smiled. "Me too." She looked at her watch. "I've got to get back." The waitress brought the bill over. "Let me get that."

Jim frowned. "Katie…"

Kate laughed. "Dad, ever since I moved in with Castle, I've barely had to pay for anything. Please, my treat."

Jim shook his head. "Okay. But next time, I'm getting it."

Kate smiled. "Deal."

* * *

Beckett returned to the precinct to see Ryan hang up the phone and go over to the board. She walked over to her desk and hung up her coat while he erased something and put up new information. She walked over to see what he had changed. It was the tally of hits to matches. Fifty-eight out of fifty-eight; all the hits had found new homes.

Castle walked up to her. "We did it. How was your lunch?"

Beckett smiled. "It was good. He was asking if we have a date yet."

Castle smiled. "Did you have one in mind?"

Beckett shook her head. "I haven't thought about it yet." Gates motioned for Beckett to join her. "We'll talk more about it later."

Castle hadn't seen Gates. "Speaking about wedding dates…"

Beckett interrupted. "Hold that thought. Gates wanted to talk to me." Castle nodded and Beckett walked into Gate's office. "You wanted to see me?"

Gates nodded. "I hear you and Richard Castle are engaged."

Beckett nodded. "Yes. About a week now. I'm sorry, I should have let you know. When did you find out?"

Gates looked out toward the boys. "They were talking about it earlier. So, congratulations on your engagement. Is there anything I should know in relation to this?"

Beckett was confused. "Sir?"

Gates looked right at Beckett. "Are you pregnant, detective?"

Beckett shook her head in surprise. "No sir. Our engagement has nothing to do with a pregnancy."

Gates nodded. "Good, because I would hate to have to bench one of my best detectives. I'm already going to lose Ryan the month of August."

Beckett smiled. "I understand. Is there anything else?"

Gates shook her head. "That's all."

Beckett stood and left the office. Ryan and Esposito had started to box up all the case information. Beckett took a seat at her desk.

Castle sat down in his chair. "As I was saying, Lanie and Esposito have set a date."

Beckett nodded. "July 30th. Lanie told me when I went down to the morgue earlier."

Castle looked like she had ruined the big surprise. "So I'm guessing she told you the where too?"

Beckett smiled. "Yes, but I'll let you remind me."

Castle shook his head. "The Conservatory Gardens in Central Park. But I probably don't have to tell you which ones."

Beckett smiled. "The French style. And just to let you know, Lanie only told me because I told her I was going to lunch with my dad. She wanted to make sure that I didn't have to hear it down the grapevine. I'm actually surprised you didn't already know that; Lanie said she would mention it."

Castle sat back. "Nope, must have slipped her mind. What did Gates have to say?"

Beckett blushed. "She was making sure that we weren't engaged because I was pregnant."

Castle chuckled. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm not opposed to more children."

Beckett shook her head. "I wouldn't mind being a mother either, but now is not the time. I'd like to be married first."

Castle looked at Beckett in wonder. "I've never heard you mention wanting kids before. But, I think you would make an excellent mother."

Beckett turned to look at Castle. "What makes you say that?"

Castle smiled. "That case we worked with Sorenson; the missing little girl. When we found her, just the way you were with her, I could see the potential mother in you."

Beckett looked down at her hands. "Thanks." She cleared her throat. "I need to get the paperwork done."

Beckett started to work on the paperwork to process out the case. Peterman's case unfortunately would remain unsolved for a little while, but the Jersey boys were now able to close the James case, and fifty-seven other cold cases had just received new life, even if the killer was dead. It wasn't a perfect ending, but at least it was close.

* * *

**A/N: For anyone who is curious, the diner Kate and Jim have lunch at was the same one in the episode Sucker Punch. In that episode, it felt like a place the two of them might frequent and a good place for a casual lunch date for a dad and daughter. As for the location for Esposito and Lanie's wedding, I watch White Collar on the USA network, and in the final episode of the second season, they went to the Conservatory Gardens during the case. From what I saw, they are beautiful and I felt it would be a good place for a wedding. A little research latter and I discovered that you can get married there. So, there you go. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank MissDeckaDecka for her review. Unfortunately, because this is a re-release of a story I originally wrote at the M rating, there won't be much Ryan and Jenny in this one. However, I am working on the sequel for this story and will totally keep that in mind as I write. Thanks so much for the suggestion!**

**Here is the next case. Thanks for continuing to read and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 23

It had been a quiet three weeks at the 12th. They'd had a pop and drop that was caught on camera, a gang initiation gone wrong, and what Esposito would call a 'Jack shot Bill over Jill'. They were actually completely caught up on paperwork as well. Castle's _Italian Heat_ had come out and received rave reviews. The next thing they had to look forward to was their monthly poker game in two days.

Castle was playing on his phone. "Is it bad that I'm hoping someone gets killed just so we have something to do?"

Beckett looked up from the Shadow Fox file. "Probably. You know you didn't have to come in today."

Castle put away his phone. "Yeah, I know. But it was either stare at a blank computer screen at home or play with my phone here. At least when I'm here, I get to be with you."

Beckett smiled. "You know that just makes you sound clingy, right?"

Castle grinned. "What's your point?"

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay, we'll be right there."

Castle stood up. "Murder?"

Beckett waved to the boys to get their attention. "Yep. Let's go."

* * *

They arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel just after 2pm. A uniform was waiting for them out front and escorted them up to the 16th floor.

On the way up, he filled them in. "There are two victims; one male, one female. The room is registered to a Colleen Maguire. The maid found them when she went in to clean about an hour ago."

They entered room number 1623 to find Lanie examining the female victim.

Beckett knelt by the body while the boys spread out. "Hey Dr. Parish. What do we have?"

Lanie pointed toward the victim's back. "I'm not positive, but it looks like Shadow Fox again."

Beckett looked at what Lanie was pointing at; a stab wound to the kidney area. "Defensive wounds?"

Lanie shook her head. "She was probably killed first and he walked in on it. I've got defensive wounds on him. Liver temp puts time of death between 10 and 12 last night."

Beckett nodded. "I.D.'s?"

Esposito came over. "I.D. in the purse confirms that this is Colleen Maguire. And his wallet says that he is Ivan Neski."

Castle stood up. "So they weren't married. An affair maybe?"

Ryan shrugged. "It was a long distance one if it was. His driver's license puts him in Chicago. She's local though; Upper East Side."

"What happened here?" Beckett stood up and looked around.

Esposito led the way. "Obvious signs of the room being searched. Drawers opened, furniture disturbed. There's a suitcase over here." Beckett knelt down for a closer look as Esposito finished his thought. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's his bag."

Beckett nodded. "All the compartments are open, contents spilled on the floor; this bag was thoroughly searched. Have CSU process this."

Ryan held up an evidence bag. "This was found under the bed. It looks like a woman's handwriting."

Beckett stood and took the page. "It looks like a page of notes."

Castle looked over her shoulder and read the page.

"Force of the blows on some cases too weak to be an experienced man  
"- Woman? Rookie?  
"- M.E. findings inconclusive

"Too many discrepancies between cases  
"- Attacker height  
"- Thrust angle  
"- Wound depth  
"- Weapon type  
"- Two or more killers?

"All similar hits stop in '04  
"- Did the killer(s) move?

"Possible military connection  
"- Weapons similar to military survival knives'"

Castle looked up. "What does that all mean?"

Beckett handed the page back to Ryan. "See if you can find next of kin for them. Castle and I are going to talk to security and see if we can find out anything. Have uniforms canvas the surrounding rooms; see if any of them saw or heard anything."

"You got it." Esposito pulled out his phone as Beckett ducked under the tape and headed for the elevator.

Castle leaned against the wall while they waited for the car to arrive. "I'm going to go with an affair that the husband caught onto and he hired the Shadow Fox to take them both out."

Beckett shook her head. "I don't know. That page was strange. And we don't know that they were romantically involved, or that the Shadow Fox was involved." The elevator arrived and they stepped in. "If it is the Shadow Fox, a double would be unusual. In all the previous cases we've looked at, Rathborne and Shadow Fox made sure their victims were alone before they killed them."

Castle looked thoughtful. "Maybe Lanie's theory explains that. Colleen Maguire was the target, and Ivan Neski walked in on it. He was a crime of necessity; he probably saw the killer's face and had to be silenced."

The elevator arrived at the lobby. "So why is Alex still alive then?"

"She said he was wearing a hood." Castle shrugged. "You know, I'll bet Shadow Fox listens to police scanners. If we had a good description, he would know that we knew what he looked like. At that point, he would go after Alex to make sure that if we did manage to arrest him, we couldn't get a positive I.D. from a potential witness"

Beckett shrugged and flashed her badge at the security counter. "Detective Beckett, NYPD. I need to see the security footage from last night."

The guard nodded and had another guard take them to the back room. "All the security tapes are in here. What were you looking for?"

Beckett sat in the spare chair. "Everything from the moment Colleen Maguire checked in up till the moment we arrived. We're looking for anyone out of place."

The guard searched for when Colleen Maguire checked-in on the computer and then rewound the tape to that day and played it. Beckett watched the screens as Colleen Maguire and a man that had to be Ivan Neski crossed the lobby to the front desk. On the various screens, there was footage from the elevators, the elevator bays on each floor, the lobby, the delivery zone, and the roof.

Beckett's brow furrowed. "You don't have cameras in the stairwells or halls?"

The guard shook his head. "Nope, hotel's owner won't spend the money to get them installed."

Beckett nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna need a copy of this footage so we can go through it thoroughly."

The guard nodded. "You got it."

Beckett watched the cameras for a moment. "Are the stairwells accessible from the outside?"

The guard shook his head. "No, they're locked to the outside. You can get out, but once that door closes, you can't get back in. Not without a key."

Beckett pulled out her phone. "Ryan, check the stairwells on the South and East sides of the hotel. I want to see if you can get into the Roosevelt from any of them."

The guard started speaking before Beckett could close her phone. "Lady, I told you, the doors are locked to the outside."

Beckett put her phone away. "It's Detective Beckett. And I'm looking for signs of forced entry; see if someone picked the lock or tampered with it somehow, thereby bypassing the security cameras altogether."

The guard shrugged and turned back to making copies of the security tapes. He handed her the copies as her phone rang. Beckett checked the caller I.D. and saw that it was Ryan.

He started talking as soon as she answered. "_Hey, it's me. You were right. The first stairwell away from the room was tampered with. Someone Watergated it; they put tape over the latch to prevent it from locking. CSU checked, but struck out on useable prints._"

Beckett groaned. "Thanks Ryan. Are there any surveillance cameras nearby that might have seen something?"

"_Nope, nada._" Ryan cleared his throat. "_The bum that lives outside says he saw a ninja use the door last night. Not that that really helps._"

Beckett shook her head. "Ok, get the bum's description of the 'ninja' and canvass the nearby businesses; see if our 'ninja' walked past anywhere. Contact traffic control and pull the footage from the area. And have CSU process that stairwell."

"_On it._"

"Thanks Ryan."

Beckett hung up and the guard looked up at her. "One of the stairwells was tampered with?"

"Yeah, they put tape over the latch so it wouldn't lock. In the future, I suggest you check the exterior doors more often. You might prevent a future problem."

As Beckett and Castle left the security room and headed to the car, her phone rang. "Beckett."

Esposito was on the other end. "_I located Colleen Maguire's next of kin. It's her husband. He's on his way to the precinct. I'm still working on finding Ivan Neski's family._"

Beckett sighed. "Okay, keep at it. Castle and I will talk to the husband. Help Ryan out; I dumped a few assignments on him."

"_Got it._" Esposito hung up and Beckett put her phone away.

Castle was at the car. "What was that?"

Beckett unlocked the car. "Esposito found Colleen's husband. We're going to meet him at the precinct."

* * *

Daniel Maguire, Colleen's husband sat down in the lounge as though in a fog. "I can't believe she's gone."

Beckett leaned forward. "Mr. Maguire, do you know why your wife had a room at the Roosevelt Hotel?"

Maguire shook his head. "No."

Castle handed him a coffee. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Maguire shrugged. "Yesterday morning. She called last night and said she had a lot of work to do, so she was going to sleep at the office. She does that sometimes."

Beckett pulled out a notebook. "What was it that she did?"

"She is…was a lawyer. She didn't really talk about work much. She must have been busy with a case for Sullivan and Cromwell though. She only stayed at the office when she was busy."

Castle leaned forward. "A man was killed in the same room she was. His name was Ivan Neski. Does that name sound familiar?"

Beckett wanted to kick Castle for his lack of tact, but the husband answered. "Actually, yeah. He was a P.I. back in Chicago. Colleen worked with him on some cases back when we lived there too."

Beckett pressed the subject. "Did your wife mention him recently? Maybe said that he was in town, or working with her on a case?"

Maguire shook his head. "No, she never said anything. This doesn't make any sense. Are you saying they were having an affair?"

Beckett nodded. "They were found in the same room, it was registered under her name, and he had a suitcase with him. It's possible that they were seeing each other."

Maguire shook his head. "Colleen wasn't the kind to cheat, especially not with a man like Neski. She would never do something like that. He was probably in town for a case and asked for her help."

"We're trying to track down Neski's family. Do you by any chance have their contact info?"

Maguire shook his head. "Sorry, but as far as I'm aware, he didn't have any."

Castle turned to Beckett before asking his next question. "I want to go back to something you said earlier. Why 'especially not a man like Neski'? What did you mean?"

Maguire leaned back in his chair. "Neski is a simple P.I. Colleen is a lawyer at the top of her game. Neski wasn't worth the dirt under her shoes and they both knew it. In Chicago, Colleen would only use him when the company investigator was either too busy or too chicken to check something out for her. Eventually, sure, they kind of became friends. But Colleen wouldn't sleep with him. They were never that close. And Colleen hasn't worked with him in almost five years."

"Maybe that friendship developed into something more. You know what they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.'"

Maguire glared at Castle. "Five years would be too long for any 'fondness' to last."

Castle ignored the glare. "Not if they have been seeing each other during that time. After all, you said that Colleen would sometimes not come home from the office. Maybe she wasn't in her office those nights."

Beckett decided to intervene before this turned into a brawl, so she stood and offered her hand. "Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Maguire. I'm sorry for your loss."

Maguire calmed down enough to stand and shake her hand. "Find the bastard who did this, Detective."

Beckett rounded on Castle as soon as the door closed. "What the hell was that all about?"

Castle wasn't fazed. "I was trying to test his reaction to the idea that his wife was sleeping with Neski."

"We don't even know if they were sleeping together, and I'm the detective, Rick. You can't ask questions like that and just expect me to be okay with it. We're supposed to be a team."

Castle held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I thought it was a good idea at the time."

Beckett shook her head. "Isn't that how you ended up marrying both your ex-wives? Because it was a 'good idea at the time'?"

Castle nodded. "Yes."

Beckett grabbed the chain around her neck. "Is that what this is too?"

Castle looked stunned. "No, Kate, no. This time… I…Look, if I was going to marry you because I thought it was a 'good idea at the time', I don't think I would have stuck around for almost five years just waiting to kiss you for real. This relationship is more than I could have ever wanted, more than I deserve. I'm not just saying that because I'm a writer and what I'm saying sounds good. I mean it. You were more than worth the wait because I was able to finally realize that I wasn't just some playboy that liked chasing around college age fan-girls. I finally became a man. Even my daughter, who was a better parent to me than I was to her or my mother was to me, even she wasn't able to get me to grow up. You did. Kate, I would take a bullet for you. My two ex-wives? I wouldn't be able to do that for them. For you I would, and I almost have several times. I have wanted to marry you for years. This isn't just a good idea at the time; this is forever."

Castle's speech was so touching, Beckett wanted to cry; instead she sighed and asked, "So what did you find out?"

Castle was confused. "About what?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "It was your idea to get a rise out of him, what did you find out?"

Castle blinked. "Oh. If Colleen and Neski were sleeping together, he didn't suspect a thing."

Beckett shook her head and left the lounge to update the murder board.

* * *

**A/N: There it is; the start of the next case. The fight between Beckett and Castle was actually easy to write, especially Castle's speech. I think it sums up his feelings toward her and tells her exactly where she stands in his universe. So, what do you think will happen next? I guess you'll have to read on to find out!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and MissDeckaDecka for their reviews. southerngirl1, I'm glad you liked the speech. I enjoyed writing it. MissDeckaDecka, hearing you say you're obsessed with my story made me smile :). Thanks for reading!**

**I'm trying a slightly different/new 'technique' for writing on this one (about halfway down), so please let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 24

Beckett and Castle were met outside the building for Sullivan and Cromwell by Hikaru Uhura, Colleen Maguire's assistant. He quickly introduced himself and guided them up to the firm's floors. After waving them past security, and he showed them into Colleen's office, closing the door behind them.

He gestured to the couch in front of the window and took the seat across from them. "I can't tell you how shocked we were to hear about Colleen's death. She was by far the most successful lawyer in the firm. She was a joy to work with. And I actually mean that. She rarely had anything bad to say to anyone who worked here."

Beckett nodded. "Could you tell us about her current case?"

Uhura shook his head. "She wasn't on one. Colleen had just finished the Goldenstien case; the next case wasn't scheduled to start until next month. And she wasn't even the lead on that case. It's a corporate case, so Eamon is on point."

Beckett made a note. "You said she was the most successful lawyer. What did she do mostly? Prosecution? Defense?"

Uhura smiled. "She worked on both sides. It just depended on the case."

Castle leaned forward. "Can you think of anyone that might have wanted to hurt her?"

Uhura shook his head. "No. Everyone loved her. Even people that were going up against her liked her."

Beckett leaned forward too. "Was she acting differently lately? Maybe paranoid or frightened?"

Uhura's brow furrowed. "You know, lately she has seemed a little upset, even secretive. From what I've heard, her marriage had been on the rocks lately. I don't know why. And she started leaving work early."

Castle was interested. "When did that start?"

Uhura thought back. "Four days ago, I think."

Castle turned to Beckett. "That's when Colleen booked the room." He turned back to Colleen's assistant. "Did she ever mention the name Ivan Neski?"

Uhura shook his head. "No, I've never heard of him."

Beckett wrote a note. "When she left early, did she ever say where she was going?"

Uhura shook his head again. "No. Like I said, she was being secretive. I asked her about it two days ago, but she just ignored me and got into the elevator."

Beckett stood. "Mind if we have a look around?"

Uhura stood. "Not at all. If you need anything, just ask."

Beckett nodded. "Thanks."

Beckett and Castle started searching through the office. At first glance, it seemed like the average lawyer's office; degrees on the off-white walls, great view of the city, files on the heavy wooden desk, and legal books on the mahogany shelves. But there was something off.

Castle was looking at the pictures on the desk. "Daniel isn't in any of these." He opened a drawer. "But he is in this one." He held it up. "It was in her drawer. Judging from the crack in the glass, she didn't put it there nicely."

Beckett came over for a look. "Looks like a honeymoon picture."

"Thinking about where you'd want to spend our honeymoon?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "I think we would have to actually set a date to really think about it."

"Got a date in mind?"

"Castle, not now."

Castle put the picture back. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

"What do you think?" Beckett did another turn of the room. "I'm not seeing a briefcase."

Castle was looking at the law degrees. "So?"

"Every lawyer I know carries a briefcase. Where is hers?"

Castle shrugged. "Maybe the killer took it." His face looked like it always did when one of his wild theories suddenly struck. "Maybe, Neski and Colleen were working on a case together, not related to her firm. The killer took the briefcase because it contained all the information they had gathered on that case. The killer was hired to get rid of them for what they were working on, and to eliminate all of the incriminating evidence."

Beckett nodded. "And the page that we found is one of their pages of notes about the case."

Castle nodded. "It could have fallen out of the briefcase when the killer left."

"Except we don't know if Colleen had her briefcase with her when she left yesterday." Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay Lanie, we're on our way."

Uhura poked his head into the office. "Do you guys need anything?"

Beckett put her phone away. "Did Colleen usually carry a briefcase?" Uhura nodded. "Did she have it with her when she left last night?"

"Yes. Why?"

In true Castle fashion, he blurted out the truth without considering tact. "It wasn't found at the crime scene."

Beckett elbowed Castle. "Thanks for your help."

* * *

Lanie looked up as Beckett and Castle walked in. "I was right."

Beckett stopped by the table. "Shadow Fox?"

Lanie nodded. "Yep. Strike points, bruising, and thrust angles all match, as does the wound mold I took. It's definitely a Wingwalk."

Castle took a look at the knife mold. "So your preliminary guesses were all right."

Lanie smiled. "Not exactly."

Beckett looked up. "What do you mean?"

Lanie held up a lab results page. "I was running a blood sample from Mrs. Maguire here and I got two DNA results. One was hers. The other was Mr. Neski."

Castle looked up. "He was killed first?"

Lanie nodded. "This is where it gets weird. From my examination, I was able to narrow down the time of death. He was killed between 10:30 and 11 and she was killed between 11:30 and midnight."

Beckett looked surprised. "He was killed up to an hour and a half before she was?"

Lanie nodded. "Yep. I'm guessing that when the Shadow Fox attacked them, Mrs. Maguire here ran into the bathroom to hide and was ambushed when she finally emerged."

"Which would explain why he had defensive wounds and she didn't."

Castle turned to Beckett. "Why didn't she call for help?"

Beckett looked at Colleen. "Her phone was still in her purse when we got there, so I think it's safe to say she couldn't."

Castle nodded. "Shadow Fox waited a long time for Colleen to emerge. It looks like she was the intended target; the P.I. stepped in to defend her."

Beckett shook her head. "No, if they were working on a case together, they were both targets."

"Yeah, but why waste an hour waiting when you can just bust down the door?"

Beckett turned to Castle as a thought occurred to her. "The hour wasn't wasted. They probably used that time to search the room and find all of their notes. That way when they were done killing Colleen…"

Castle finished the sentence. "…they could just pick up the bag and leave."

Beckett nodded and turned back to the M.E. "Anything else?"

Lanie shook her head. "Not yet. I'll call if I find something."

"Thanks Lanie."

* * *

The next morning, Beckett sat back to look at the murder board. Colleen's briefcase was missing, she had displayed secretive behavior days before her death, and a P.I. from Chicago had also been killed in the hotel room that was under her name. Ryan was busy screening all the surveillance video from the hotel, but so far nothing had turned up. And then there was that note. Beckett stood and crossed the room to examine it closely.

"_Force of blows on some unsolved cases too weak to be an experienced hitman. Woman? Rookie?_" So they were investigating some unsolved cases, probably with very similar M.O.'s. And they had found that in some cases, the killer lacked the strength that some of the others had.

"_M.E. findings inconclusive. Too many discrepancies between similar cases. I.E. attacker height, thrust angle, and wound depth. Two or more killers?_" So the similar cases didn't share all of the same characteristics. Where were these cases coming from? Was it city specific, or were they looking into cases nationwide? Or even worldwide?

"_All similar hits stop in '09. Did they move?_" Hits. Maybe these cases were contract kills. That would explain why Colleen called them hits. And they now had a timeline. All of the hits/cases ended in '09. Why? If the reason was that the killer moved, then the hits had to be city or possibly state specific. That helped to narrow down their search area.

"_Possible military connection. Weapon similar to military survival knives_." Rathborne. It had to be. He used a military survival knife in his hits. But the note mentioned discrepancies and knives, plural. The attacks weren't all done with the same kind of knife. So who was similar to Rathborne, but not the same? The Shadow Fox.

Beckett leaned back onto her desk. "The Shadow Fox."

Castle looked up. "Come again?"

Beckett returned to her chair. "The Shadow Fox is the killer."

Castle nodded. "That's what Lanie said."

Beckett shook her head. "No, I mean that this wasn't a contract hit. These two were investigating a series of hits somewhere. I think that they may have been investigating Shadow Fox's hits. Shadow Fox killed them because they had gotten close."

Castle looked confused. "How'd you get all that?"

Beckett pointed at the board. "The note. Cases with similar M.O.'s, military survival knives, and the hits stopped there, wherever **there** is, about a year before they started here."

Castle turned to look at the paper. "What about the discrepancies in the M.E.'s reports?"

"Rathborne." Beckett's expression darkened. "I'm guessing that they worked the same area while the Shadow Fox was training. Rathborne obviously didn't just stay there, but the Shadow Fox did." Beckett paused. "I think."

Castle nodded. "So, where was that?"

Beckett shrugged. "Don't know yet. The note mentions M.E. reports, so I'm guessing that Colleen and Neski were requesting specific reports. I'll ask Lanie to call around and see if she can find them." Ryan and Esposito walked in with an evidence bag. "Hey, what did you guys find?"

Esposito held up the bag to display a bloody Wingwalk knife. "Found the murder weapon. And there was a print on it. In the blood."

Beckett stood up. "You've got a print?"

Ryan nodded. "It was stashed way back in one of the air vents in the room. If it had gone much further, it would have fallen down the system. The lab is running the fingerprint and DNA trace now."

Castle turned to Beckett. "A mistake?"

"Let's hope so." Beckett shook her head. "They probably thought that the knife would go down the vent system and didn't bother to clean the weapon. Any word on the evidence from the stairwell?"

Ryan shook his head. "Still analyzing all the hairs and trace samples."

Beckett nodded. "Let me know what comes up."

Beckett had just sat back down when Gates poked her head out of her office. "Detective Beckett, a word please."

Beckett stood. "Castle, tell Esposito to call Lanie about checking into those cases." She entered Gates' office. "Yes, sir?"

Gates sat down and gestured to the chair across from her. "I heard that this case might be related to the Shadow Fox. What do you know so far?"

Becket sat. "Well, it is the Shadow Fox, but I don't think this case is a contracted hit."

Gates sat up. "Not a contracted hit? Then, how could the Shadow Fox be involved?"

Beckett sat back. "I think this one was personal. Colleen Maguire was a lawyer; Ivan Neski was a P.I. from Chicago. They've worked together before and I think they were working on investigating some cold cases that had to do with some old Shadow Fox and Rathborne cases."

"How did you get this information?"

"A page of notes found at the scene. From the notes, I think the Shadow Fox knew they were getting close, so he silenced them and took their research." Gates was looking skeptical, so Beckett continued. "The room had been thoroughly searched and Colleen's briefcase has gone missing. But we think we found the knife that was used and there was a fingerprint in the blood on the knife. It was found in the ventilation system of the room, so I think that the Shadow Fox tried to dispose of the knife in the vents, but it didn't go far enough to fall down into the system and disappear."

Gates nodded. "So you're running the print. Are there other avenues you can take if that doesn't pan out?"

Beckett nodded. "We'll try to track down what our victims were working on; Maybe we can piece together what they knew."

Gates stood. "Keep me updated on your progress, Detective."

"Sir." Beckett stood and returned to her desk.

Esposito finished writing a note on the board. "Lanie is getting to work on finding those cases you were looking for. She's not happy about not having a place to start."

Beckett sat down. "Let's try Chicago. Both of our victims were from there at one point. I would imagine that they have been working on this case for a lot longer than we think."

Esposito nodded. "Got it."

Beckett woke up her computer and opened the internet. "I'm going to call Chicago P.D. and see if I can get the police reports that match those M.E. reports." Castle stood up. "Where are you going?"

Castle grabbed his coat. "The airport. Alexis' flight gets in at 10am. I want to meet her at the baggage claim."

Beckett smiled. "Of course. Give her a hug for me."

Castle leaned down for a kiss. "Do you want me to come back later?"

Beckett returned the kiss. "You're daughter has been away at school for four months. I think I can handle letting the two of you catch up. Besides, hopefully we are going to be buried in reports for the rest of the afternoon and we both know how much you enjoy paperwork. See you at dinner."

Beckett watched as Castle walked to the elevator. He stepped in, turned and waved as the doors closed and Beckett smiled. She turned back to her desk and was picking up the phone to call the Chicago P.D. when she noticed Ryan and Esposito giving her goofy grins.

"Get back to work."

* * *

Over the next several hours, Beckett and the boys received case files from Chicago P.D. and autopsy reports forwarded to them from Lanie. From the notes Lanie attached to the reports, Beckett was able to sort the files into three piles: Rathborne, Shadow Fox, and Not-Even-Close.

Lanie called Beckett after she sent a few more M.E. report. "_Okay, so that is the last of the reports I've been sent so far. But I just found out that Maguire and Neski requested a few reports from here in New York last week_."

Beckett grabbed a pen. "Which ones?"

"_Guess_."

Beckett's heart sank. "My mother's."

"_Along with all of Shadow Fox's and the rest of Rathborne's_." Lanie sighed. "_I'm thinking they were trying to figure out everything related to these cases. Do you think they were farther in this case than we were?_"

"Yes, at least as far as Shadow Fox was concerned; that's why he killed them. I'd like to think that no one knows the Rathborne cases better than I do." Beckett ran a hand through her hair. "Thanks Lanie."

Lanie laughed. "_Get some rest, honey. Even through the phone I can tell you're exhausted. Listen, I've left messages with some more M.E. offices nationwide. If Shadow Fox or Rathborne worked anywhere else, I'll let you know._"

Lanie hung up and Beckett followed suit. She looked at her watched and saw that it was almost six. Beckett shut down her computer for the night and gathered up her things.

Esposito looked up. "Heading home?"

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, Alexis got home this morning. I promised I'd be home for dinner."

Ryan smiled. "Tell her we say hi."

Beckett smiled. "I will. Goodnight."

* * *

**A/N: Not a cliffhanger chapter, but now Alexis is officially home. In the next chapter, we will actually see her, not just through Skype and phone calls. Should be up by the end of the week. Just so you know, that new 'technique' is where Beckett is figuring out the clues from the note. I haven't done thought process like that before, so I was trying it out. Tell me if you liked it, hated it, didn't understand it, or loved it. Thanks!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Alexis is home!**

* * *

Chapter 25

Kate opened the door to the smell of tomato sauce and garlic bread and the sound of Alexis and Martha laughing. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face as she set her bag down and walked into the loft. Alexis looked up and shrieked as she ran to give Kate a hug.

Kate returned the hug. "Welcome home, Alexis."

Alexis's smile was infectious. "It is sooooo good to be home."

Kate looked around. "Where's your dad?"

Alexis shrugged. "He said he had to go get something."

Martha chimed in. "Knowing him, it's something for you, kiddo. So, Kate, how is the case going?"

Kate shrugged out of her coat and hung it up in the front closet. "We're waiting for the lab to come back with some hair samples and a partial print. Hopefully we'll finally get an I.D. on the Shadow Fox."

Alexis returned to stirring the pasta. "That's the serial killer?"

Kate joined Alexis in the kitchen. "No, he's a contract killer. Serials have a type or something that sets them off. Contract killers murder people because someone pays them enough money."

Alexis nodded. "On the surface, they look the same, but when you really look at it, they are very different."

Kate smiled. "Exactly. That ready yet?"

Alexis nodded and handed Kate the colander. "Yep."

They were busy draining the pasta when the door opened. "That smells wonderful. Oh good, Kate's home."

Alexis smiled. "Hi Dad."

Rick was holding a box. "I have, with much difficulty and great effort, procured the best Upside-down Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Soufflé in all of New York."

Martha turned to Alexis. "I think that would be something for you, my dear."

Alexis put the pasta pot back on the stove. "It's my dad. Of course it's something for me." She went and gave him a kiss. "Thanks Dad. Wash up, dinner's ready."

* * *

Rick settled into bed and pulled Kate into his side. "I'm so glad she's home."

Kate smiled. "I know. Are you coming in tomorrow?"

Rick pulled Kate closer. "I don't know. Anything special planned?"

Kate shrugged. "Prints come back, might make an arrest. No, nothing major."

Rick groaned. "Spend the day with Alexis, or be there to possibly see the Shadow Fox arrested. Do you really have to give me such a hard choice?"

Kate laughed and turned around to give Rick a kiss. "Tough luck. Kitten."

* * *

Beckett arrived early the next morning to find Esposito already at his desk. "Hey Javier."

Esposito looked up. "No Castle?"

"No, he's having breakfast with Alexis. He'll be in later." Beckett hung her coat on the back of her chair. "Print results back yet?"

Esposito shook his head. "Not yet. Ryan's getting coffee."

Ryan came out of the break room with two espresso cups. "Hey Beckett. Where's Castle?"

"Breakfast with Alexis. Anything new?"

Ryan set down the coffees. "Not really. We've gone over those cases from Chicago a bit, but nothing in there points to who the killer might be."

Beckett turned on her computer and began to review her notes from the night before. After half an hour, there was still nothing jumping out at her. She was about to get up for a coffee when one landed at her elbow.

"So, what'd I miss?"

Beckett smiled. "Prints still aren't back yet. Thanks by the way."

Castle nodded. "Always."

Beckett took a sip. "What happened to spending the morning with Alexis?"

Castle sat back. "She wanted to hang out with some of her friends; she left a little after breakfast."

Officer Velazquez walked up to Beckett's desk. "Fingerprint and DNA results, Detective Beckett."

Beckett grabbed the file with a hurried "Thanks" and opened it up as the boys ran over. They looked at the name on the page.

Beckett was stunned. "Shut the front door."

Castle looked up at Beckett and grinned. "We got him."

* * *

Beckett and the boys spent the rest of the morning filling the board with information about their new suspect. So far, they had discovered that he worked at the Lenox Hill Hospital as a billing operator, but that he had the night off when Colleen and Neski were killed. His print was on the knife, and his hair had been found in the stairwell with the tampered door. He was the right height and hand, and clearly had motive. He had lived in Chicago until '09 when his wife had been offered a partnership at Sullivan and Cromwell. Esposito had uncovered that he was also former military and was tracking down what unit he had served with.

"Okay, thank you." Esposito hung up his phone. "Daniel Maguire was special forces during the Gulf War."

Beckett wrote that down. "So he had the training."

Esposito interrupted. "Oh, it gets better."

Castle looked over at Esposito. "What?"

Esposito grinned. "He was in the same unit as Richard 'Rathborne' Coonan."

* * *

Beckett stood in the Observation Room with most of the homicide department as Daniel Maguire was brought in. His demeanor was calm, but confused, like a man who had no clue why he was being dragged in there. Esposito was looking at Beckett as she stood hugging the case file, waiting for her to make the move. The tension in the air was palpable; this could be the moment of truth. Beckett took a deep breath and moved toward the door. Castle moved to follow, but Beckett turned and placed a hand on his chest, looking up at eyes. He nodded in understanding and went back to his spot behind the glass.

Beckett took another deep breath before opening the door to I1. "Mr. Maguire, you have been informed of your rights?"

Maguire straightened up. "Yes."

Beckett set the folder on the table. "And you have waved your right to an attorney?"

Maguire nodded. "I've got nothing to hide."

Beckett cleared her throat and looked at the suspect. "What was your relationship to Colleen Maguire?"

Maguire's brow furrowed. "What is this?"

Beckett leaned against the wall next to the glass. "Just answer the question."

"She was my wife."

"And how would you describe your relationship?"

Maguire was confused. "Why does that matter?" Beckett just looked at him. "Fine, our relationship was fine. We had been a little on the shaky side lately, but that was because she had been busy with work and I saw her maybe twice a week."

"How was Colleen acting lately?"

Maguire sighed. "All last week she's been nervous, distracted. I tried to get her to tell me, but she never said anything."

Beckett nodded. "Were you aware that Ivan Neski was in town?"

Maguire gaze focused on Beckett. "No. The last time I had seen him was when Colleen was working with him in Chicago."

Beckett began to pace. "You and your wife used to live in Chicago?

Maguire looked bored. "Yes."

"When did you move to New York?"

Maguire was still trying to figure out what was going on. "September of '09. Why?"

Beckett shrugged. "Just curious." She leaned against the wall again. "According to your employment records, you served in the Armed Forces. What unit?"

Maguire was becoming impatient. "Look, I don't know what you are trying to get at. If you know I was in the military, then you know what unit. Just get to the point!"

Beckett strode over to the table and picked up the file folder. "Alright. You were Special Forces in the Gulf War. You were in a small, highly trained unit that specialized in infiltration and extraction. According the service report, your unit lost one man, presumed dead. When you left the military, you received an honorable discharge with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. So I just have one question. Why did you kill Colleen Maguire and Ivan Neski? Did they figure it out?"

Maguire was outraged. "You think I killed my wife? You're crazy!"

Beckett slapped a photo of the knife onto the table in front of Maguire. "Am I? That knife was found in the air vent of your wife's room at the Roosevelt." Beckett pointed at the print. "That is **your** fingerprint in **their** blood on the knife that was used to kill them. Your hair," another photo hit the table, "was found in the stairwell that was used as the access point to the hotel. If you didn't do it, how do you explain your fingerprint and hair being found at the scene of your wife's murder?"

Maguire was stunned. "I don't know."

Beckett dropped the folder and leaned on the table. "You have the experience, the know-how. The knife is a Wingwalk; a favorite of ex-military members. And you wouldn't be the first in your unit to become an assassin would you?" Dick Coonan's army picture landed on the table. "Your old buddy, Dick Coonan. I talked to your old commander, Dan. You and he were very close, like brothers, inseparable…"

Maguire interrupted. "That's because we were partnered together for patrol! He was captured while we were over there, never found! If you really did your homework, you would know that he's been presumed dead!"

The photo of Coonan lying dead on the floor of the precinct joined those already on the table. "If he had really died during the war, I wouldn't have been forced to kill him to protect my partner. He died four years ago, right here in this precinct, not overseas at the hand of the enemy. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Maguire picked up Coonan's crime scene photo in shock. "He was alive?"

Beckett sat down. "You can cut the act, Maguire. You and Coonan were working in the Chicago area at the same time. He went by the name Rathborne; you are the Shadow Fox. He called you his protégée."

Maguire shook his head and put the photo back down. "I'm not a killer!"

"You killed Colleen Maguire and Ivan Neski because they were investigating the crimes the two of you were committing. They got too close to the truth, so you had to silence them." Beckett pulled out the crime scene photos and laid them in front of Maguire. "You killed your own wife and her friend to cover your ass and protect your secret."

"I did not kill my wife!" Maguire slammed his fist on the table.

"We know you weren't working that night, which means you had opportunity, motive, and ability."

"Yes, I wasn't working that night, but I went to the bar that night to watch the game!" Maguire glared at Beckett. "The 1472 Sports Café. Ask around. There were a lot of people there. Someone must remember me!"

"What about these people? Remember killing them?"

Beckett gathered the photos she had already laid out and replaced them with the crime scene photos of Brian Watson, Jason Caldwell, Angela Crawford, Crystal Peterman, and Kirill Andrevich. As she laid out the photos, she carefully watched Maguire for a tell.

Maguire recoiled. "I've never seen any of these people."

Beckett pushed Peterman and Andreievich's photos closer to Maguire. "Are you sure? Their blood was also found on the knife that killed your wife and Neski. The knife that had your print on it!"

Maguire was outraged. "You've got the wrong guy!"

Beckett gathered all the photos and left the Interrogation Room. She re-entered the Observation Room and sat down, barely registering that everyone was silently watching her.

Gates broke the silence. "Do you think he's good for it?"

Beckett shrugged and sighed. "Motive, opportunity, training, evidence, association with Rathborne; everything points to him. But, his actions in there tell me that he didn't. I don't know."

Gates turned back to the window. "I like him for it. And, as you said, the evidence speaks for itself. Book him. Good work, Detective."

Everyone except Castle, Ryan, and Esposito left the Ob. Room. Beckett stared at Maguire through the glass. Maguire had his head in his hands and tears were running down his face. A uniform entered the room to lead him away.

Castle had been watching Beckett closely. "You really don't think it was him."

"Look at him. Either he is the best actor I've ever seen, or he's innocent." Beckett shook her head. "Ryan, keep going through that footage. Esposito, see if he has alibis for the other murders and if they pan out for any of the cases we have. If he did do them, I don't want the jury to have any doubts."

The boys nodded and went to their tasks. "What are we going to do, Kate?"

"We are going to go through the cases from Chicago." Beckett stood. "I want to see if the husband could have been responsible for the Shadow Fox cases there."

* * *

**A/N: Is he? Is he not? We'll find out!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank The Pianist's Touch for their review. Welcome to the story and I'm glad you're enjoying it! This chapter starts in Ryan's perspective. We will jump back to Beckett's POV about halfway through. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 26

Ryan paused the tape to get another cup of coffee. So far, he had carefully screened the elevators, the elevator bays, the delivery zone, and the lobby. The lobby had taken the longest due to the sheer number of people who went through it every day. The delivery zone was somewhat quicker, and everyone who was on camera was supposed to be there. The elevator bays and elevators went smoothly. Everyone caught on tape was either an employee or a guest. So far, no one had looked suspicious, and Daniel Maguire was nowhere to be seen. The only curious thing Ryan had seen was two days before the murder of Colleen and Neski. That day, Ewan Brebnor, the electrician they met during the Caldwell case, came in. He had been seen in the lobby meeting with one of the managers, and in the elevator bays refusing to get onto an elevator. Ryan had already called the hotel and learned that Brebnor was one of their regulars due to some of the older electrical fixtures at the Roosevelt.

Ryan sat down and started the tape again. This was the last one: the roof. So far, all he had really seen were a lot of birds. In addition to the birds, a security guard came out onto the roof everyday and walked around for a few minutes before checking the door and going back down the stairs. Two days before the murders, a blond security guard with glasses and a mustache followed the routine, but he spent a little bit longer with the door than normal. The next day, a different security guard came out around the same time. He too walked around and spent a little bit longer to check the door. Ryan had thought it was strange when the blond guard did that, but when the second guard did too, he figured that there must have been a slight change in procedure and didn't think about it.

Ryan continued to watch as the time of the murders approached. Night fell. Ryan took a sip of his coffee and was just beginning to wonder if watching this tape was an exercise in futility when he saw movement on the corner of the screen. He quickly rewound the tape and watched for the movement again. On the rooftop across the alley, a figure had appeared. The lack of lighting in that area made it difficult to see who it was. The figure disappeared and Ryan was about to take another sip of coffee when the figure was back in the frame. Whoever it was, they had just launched themselves from the rooftop across the way and were now airborne between the two buildings. The figure landed on the rooftop of the Roosevelt and immediately dropped into a tuck-and-roll. Ryan paused the video when the figure stood up; standing on the roof was a ninja.

Ryan couldn't believe his eyes. He watched as the ninja ran over to the door on the roof and pulled; nothing happened. The ninja tried again before running to the edge of the roof under which a fire escape must be located and dropping out of sight again. Ryan rewound the tape again and called Beckett and Castle over before playing it for them.

Castle was laughing when Ryan stopped the tape. "A ninja really did show up at the Roosevelt!"

Beckett leaned over Ryan to rewind the tape a little. "They tried to get into the roof access first. Does anyone come out onto the roof before our ninja shows up?"

Ryan nodded. "A security guard walks the roof everyday."

Beckett nodded. "Check with security and see if any of the guards in the video were not really guards."

Castle pointed at the screen. "It looks like they expected the door to open. Could there be some kind of trace on the door?"

Ryan nodded. "You might be right. I'll have CSU check the door."

Ryan rewound the tape to the beginning and started speeding through the tape, slowing it down when a guard was making their rounds and freezing it when there was a good shot of the guard's face. He then printed out the best frames and headed to the Roosevelt.

* * *

Ryan arrived at the Roosevelt just before 3:30 and went straight for the security desk. CSU was supposed to arrive any minute. Ryan waited until the guard came out of the security room.

The guard left the room reluctantly. "What can I help you with?"

Ryan flashed his badge. "I'm Detective Ryan with the NYPD. I'm here about the double homicide that took place here three days ago." He laid out the pictures. "Do any of these guards stand out? Maybe they're known for suspicious behavior or don't really work here?"

The guard studied the pictures for a minute and then held up the photo of the blond guard. "I don't recognize this one. None of the guards who work here have blond hair."

Ryan wrote the information down. "This picture was from two days before Maguire and Neski were killed. Do you know how someone that doesn't work here could have run the daily roof check without anyone getting suspicious?"

The guard shook his head. "I wasn't here that day. But I was the next day, and the guard that ran the roof check said that tape was covering the latch of the door. He took it off."

Ryan looked up at the guard. "Tape? Did you report this?"

The guard gave Ryan a look that said 'why bother?' and shook his head. "It's impossible to get onto that roof from the fire escapes. It was probably just a guest that went to out get a smoke and didn't want to be locked out. You have to have a key to get through that door."

"Do you still have that piece of tape?"

The guard laughed. "Why would we still have the tape? I told you; you can't get onto the roof from the fire escapes."

"But you can from a neighboring rooftop." Ryan laid the picture of the ninja on the counter. "They jumped from that roof," he pointed, "to yours. I think that the blond guard put tape on the door so that this ninja, who is probably the killer, would have access to this hotel from the roof's door."

The guard was frozen in shock. Ryan noticed that CSU had arrived and waved them over. The guard looked up when he saw the group approach.

Ryan gathered up the photos. "This is the Crime Scene Unit; they are going to need access to the rooftop to check for any evidence the killer or his accomplice may have left behind."

The guard nodded and called for another guard to accompany the CSU's to the roof. Ryan asked for a list of guards for the Roosevelt and their contact information and the guard quickly printed out the list.

"Here's that list you wanted. Hey, umm, when is the room going to be released? Management wants to start renting it out to guests."

Ryan couldn't believe it. "That room is still a crime scene. When we no longer needed it, someone will call to let you know."

* * *

Ryan returned to the precinct just as Esposito arrived. Beckett and Castle were waiting for their reports. Esposito went first.

"Maguire's alibi fell through. No one at the bar remembers seeing him. But the bar was also very crowded, so there may have been too many bodies for anyone to keep track of. I'm still looking into the other Shadow Fox cases and seeing if he has an alibi for any of those."

Castle raised his hand. "Were there any cameras in the bar?"

Esposito shook his head. "Dummies. They don't actually work."

Ryan went next. "It turns out that the door to the roof had been tampered with. This guard…"

Castle interrupted. "Didn't actually work there."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Apparently the guard that ran the roof check the next day noticed some tape over the latch and removed it. They threw it away and didn't bother to report the problem because they didn't think anyone would be able to get onto the roof from anywhere but the stairwell."

Castle shook his head. "How did they think the tape got there?"

Ryan shrugged. "They thought a guest did it so they could smoke on the roof and still get back in afterward. CSU is checking to see if the ninja or their accomplice left any evidence behind."

Beckett nodded. "Thanks Ryan. Help Esposito run down Maguire's alibis."

Ryan nodded and joined Esposito as he went back down the elevator.

* * *

Esposito's phone rang not long after he left. Beckett walked over to answer it.

"Detective Esposito's desk, Detective Beckett speaking."

Lenox Hill Hospital was on the other end. "_This is Ezra Vosen, Daniel Maguire's supervisor at Lenox Hill Hospital. I'm looking to speak to Detective Esposito. Is he available?_"

Beckett grabbed a pen. "He is out checking a lead, but I'm working the same case. If you leave a message, I'll make sure he gets it."

Maguire's boss cleared his throat. "_All right. Um, let him know that I have Daniel Maguire clocked in and at his desk two of the days and times that he asked about, the ones for about a month ago. I'm still checking on the four other dates._"

Beckett shook her head; Maguire had just alibied out for both Peterson's and Andreievich's murders. "Yes sir, I'll make sure Detective Esposito gets this." She hung up the phone and groaned. "Maguire just alibied out for Peterson and Andreievich."

Castle shook his head. "Which means he probably isn't the Shadow Fox."

Beckett nodded. "Yep."

Beckett called Esposito and updated the boys on Maguire's alibi situation. They had returned to the bar and were checking with some of the regulars that came in for every big game. So far they had struck out, but there were still some more that they could talk to. Castle told Beckett to remind them of the poker game that night and Esposito shot back that Castle should be ready to have his pants beaten off.

Less than half an hour later, Esposito's phone rang again and Beckett answered. "Detective Esposito's desk, Detective Beckett speaking."

Maguire's boss was back. "_This is Ezra Vosen again. I'm looking for Detective Esposito; is he still not in?_"

Becket grabbed a pen. "No, he is still out. Did you have more information for him?"

Vosen grunted. "_I have him clocked in and at his desk for one of those four other dates and times. The second one he gave me. The other dates, he either wasn't on the schedule, or he was already off by then. You'll let Detective Esposito know?_"

Beckett finished writing. "Yes sir, I will. The NYPD thanks you for your cooperation."

Vosen hung up and Beckett returned to her desk. It took her a moment to figure out which murder would be the second date, but then she remembered that the second Shadow Fox scene was Jason Caldwell, one of the subjects of Alex's Bretz and Coven investigation. Beckett updated the board and the boys again. They informed her that the last of the regulars were all a bust, so they were on their way back in. When Beckett hung up, Castle went to the break room to make them a couple coffees.

Gates came out of her office to inspect the board. "Why are you still looking into Maguire? He had the motive, opportunity, ability; what more do you want?"

Beckett stood up and joined Gates at the board. "I wanted to prove that he was responsible for all the previous Shadow Fox cases too. We were checking to see if he had alibis, and it turns out that he could not be responsible for the Peterson, Andreievich, or Caldwell murders. He was at work and on camera during their deaths. He is not the Shadow Fox."

Gates wasn't convinced. "What about the rest of the murders?"

Beckett shrugged. "He wasn't at work those days, but that doesn't mean that he was murdering Watson or Crawford, or that he was the one who attacked Alex."

"What about his wife's case? Does he have an alibi for that?"

Beckett shook her head. "Ryan and Esposito were checking with the bar, but so far no one remember seeing him there."

Gates shook her head. "Keep digging, but Maguire stays here until we've proven he didn't do it."

"Yes sir."

Beckett sat down as Gates returned to her office. She then leaned back in her chair and thought back on everything they knew about the Shadow Fox. According to Lanie's findings, the killer was either a man or a woman between 5'5" and 5'8", used the same M.O. as Rathborne, and used a Wingwalk survival knife. They might be ex-military, probably from a Special Forces unit. According to their first interview with Maxwell Robinson, Alex was the one who gave him the contact information for the Shadow Fox. But when they spoke again, Robinson admitted that it had really been Rathborne. Rathborne had told Robinson that he was getting ready to retire, and to give all future jobs to his protégée. Wait,_ Rathborne's protégée_! A protégée of Rathborne would be someone that was taught _by_ Rathborne to _kill like him_. They wouldn't be from his old unit; they would be younger, capable of taking over the business when Rathborne decided it was time to retire. Maguire was too old to be Rathborne's student or apprentice. The Shadow Fox had to be someone else, someone younger.

Castle had returned and was trying to get Beckett's attention. "Hello? Anyone home?" He waved a hand in front of her face.

Beckett stirred. "Sorry. I was thinking."

Castle gestured to the coffee as he sat back in his chair. "It must have been a deep thought."

Beckett nodded. "I was thinking about what we know about the Shadow Fox, and I remembered our conversation with Robinson."

Castle took a sip of his coffee. "The first or second one?"

Beckett set her coffee down. "Both. Mostly the second one. He said that Rathborne called the Shadow Fox his protégée. I'm thinking that Maguire couldn't be Shadow Fox, because he is too old to be Rathborne's protégée. The real killer is probably younger."

"Which means that Maguire might have been framed."

Beckett smiled. "The knife was thrown into the air vent to be found, not to hide it. Shadow Fox was trying to throw us off by planting Maguire's print on the knife and his hair in the stairwell. With that much evidence left at the scene and no concrete alibi, we would have sent Maguire to jail and thrown away the key."

Castle smiled. "Obviously the Shadow Fox has no idea who he's dealing with."

Beckett stopped smiling. "If Maguire is innocent, we need to be able to prove it; otherwise he's still going to end up in jail."

Castle checked his watch. "Well, unless you have any ideas of how to prove he was at that bar, there isn't anything more we can do about it tonight. What do you say we head home and get ready to host a poker game?"

Beckett didn't want to give up yet, but Castle was right. "Sounds good to me. We can do some more digging tomorrow." Beckett stood up and grabbed her coat while Castle returned their now empty coffee cups to the break room sink.

* * *

**A/N: I was initially going to include the poker game in this chapter, but it was starting to get a little long and there is a lot I have planned for that game. Please leave a review; you have no idea how excited I am when I see that there is a new one. No, really, I love it. Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: Now for the poker game. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 27

Rick and Kate walked into the loft to the sound of Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ being played on the piano. Rick glanced toward it, expecting to see Alexis, but it was Alex on the bench.

Alex played the last chords and looked up. "Hi! Sorry I'm early; I thought Castle had written five on the note. Martha let me in, I hope that's all right."

Kate smiled. "No, that's fine. How was work today?"

Alex laughed. "I'm between assignments actually. I've been busy cleaning up my new apartment. Well, I've lived there before, a few years ago, but it seems new to me with the mess the construction crew left behind."

Kate walked into the kitchen after hanging her coat. "What was a construction crew there for?"

Alex sat on a barstool. "All Hardy and Drew apartments are getting security upgrades. Bullet proof glass, window locks that can't be tampered with from the outside, pick resistant door locks. Your basic anti break-in/killer necessities. Apparently I'm not the only employee to have been attacked, though I am the only one that has been attacked twice; so far anyway." Alex rapped her knuckles on the wooden leg of her stool and Kate laughed.

Rick was looking around. "Where is everyone?"

Alex turned to face him. "Martha went upstairs. I think your daughter is up there too. I like your mom; she's very confident. And funny."

Rick joined Kate in the kitchen. "Yeah, she's your basic Broadway Diva."

Alex laughed as Alexis and Martha came downstairs. Introductions went quickly and soon the boys had arrived. Rick had pulled out the poker table and everyone had selected a drink. Both Alexis and Alex chose soda, which earned Alex a good ribbing before she managed to convince the group that this was a personal decision that had been reinforced after she was attacked in Chicago.

Rick and Kate set about teaching Alex how to play Texas hold'em. Alex was still lost after the first try, so they tried again with simpler terms.

Finally Alex offered a suggestion. "How about I play without betting? That way, I don't lose money for having no idea what I'm doing, and if by some miracle I win, the pot gets split evenly between everyone except me."

Everyone laughed and started to play. Alex's hands were often terrible and after a couple rounds, she backed out to just watch. Esposito won a couple hands, Ryan kept losing, Martha kept folding, Rick won a few and Kate had the biggest pile of chips in front of her. Alexis had opted out of the game and was reading a book up at the bar.

Alex eventually rejoined the game when she thought she understood how to play and managed to win a couple hands. Ryan was grateful for those wins because he was able to get some chips back. After a couple more rounds, Ryan finally won a hand. The conversation to that point had mostly been trash talk about the game, but now it turned to more personal topics.

Rick started the change in conversation. "So Ryan, how is Jenny coming along?"

Ryan threw his cards to the center. "I fold. She's doing good. Started to show a little now. We're really excited."

Alex looked up. "You guys are expecting a baby? Congratulations!"

Ryan smiled. "Thanks."

Alex folded too. "What's it going to be?"

"We don't know yet, and Jenny actually wants it to be a surprise, so we'll be waiting to find out."

Kate threw a couple of chips into the pot. "Call. What have you guys done to get ready?"

"Jenny has been unpacking the crib, stroller, and clothes. I've been checking that everything is still childproof. Just making sure we've got everything ready to have two rugrats running around."

"Children are so wonderful." Martha returned from the kitchen with a new drink. "They're like flowers; you give them enough love and they will bloom. On the other hand, just when you think you have them figured out, they change."

Rick shook his head. "Mother, I'm not sure you're the best person to be handing out parenting advice."

Martha looked across the table to him. "And you are?"

Rick returned the look. "Do you hear me handing out advice?"

Everyone laughed as the hand came to an end and Esposito won the pot again. Kate dealt out the next hand and they started again.

Esposito broke the silence this time. "Lanie tells me that you two," pointing to Rick and Kate, "are avoiding her when she asks when you are getting married."

Kate blushed. "We're not avoiding her! We haven't decided yet!"

Ryan threw a chip in the pot. "Call. Jenny was asking me about that too. If you need any advice…" Everyone laughed.

Rick threw a few more chips into the pot as Kate laid down the next community card. "We're going to take our time. Wait until the time is right. An engagement means you will get married someday. It could be right away, or it could be a couple years down the road."

Alex folded. "That's a good way to look at it."

Ryan threw his cards in too. "We all know how good you two are at waiting." Kate blushed again. "Just don't wait too long or Alexis will be married before you are."

Alexis' eyes were suddenly swimming with tears and she ran upstairs. Ryan looked surprised at the emotional reaction. Kate made a move to follow Alexis, but Alex waved her down.

"I got this. I'm already out."

Alex went up the stairs and followed the sound of crying to Alexis' room. "Alexis? It's Alex. Mind if I come in?" When she didn't hear a "no", she slowly pushed the door in.

Alexis' room was filled with earth tones; the wood furniture pieces were painted a rich olive green and the walls were a dark cream color. Lamps adorned the nightstand and dresser while coats and scarves hung from pegs on either side of the dresser near the walk-in closet. There were several knickknacks and pictures on top of the dresser and an old style, ornate mirror hung just above it. The drapes for the windows were covered in a vine pattern that was mirrored in the bedspread; above the bed were a couple posters. Against the wall across from the large bed was a desk with a new laptop and some school books. To the left of the desk was a rack full of CDs from Country to Classical to Pop artists; to the right was another rack filled with DVDs that were mostly action and chick-flicks, though there was a sprinkling of horror films to complete the collecting. A bookcase against the wall showed that fiction and classics were Alexis' passion. Alexis was sprawled across her bed sobbing. Alex grabbed the chair that was next to Alexis' desk and placed it near the bed.

She waited for Alexis to look up before speaking. "Hi. I was looking at that book you were reading. It looked like it was a good one, what is it about?"

Alexis sat up and wiped her eyes. "It's called 'The Eye of the World' from The Wheel of Time series. It's a fantasy, adventure novel."

Alex smiled. "Is it good?"

Alexis shrugged. "It's not bad."

Alex nodded. "So, your dad writes crime fiction, and you are reading a fantasy novel. Though I would imagine that as the daughter of a best-selling author, your reading interests are pretty broad."

Alexis offered a weak smile. "I guess."

"But not the sappy romantic novels," Alex chuckled, "'cause let's face it, it is very hard to count them as literature."

Alexis grinned. "Yeah, they're not realistic. The situations, the language, the emotional drama, the fact that I never really feel invested in the story…Then again, fantasy really isn't real either. Magic and mythical animals don't exist in real life."

"Well, the situations and creatures, might not be real, but to me, fantasy novels always mange to pull me in and make me feel like I'm right there in the middle of the action. Emotionally, I think fantasy novels are much more realistic than most romantic ones I've seen because the characters are easier to relate to and the interactions between characters mirrors how people act in real life. Even the romance in fantasy novels seems more realistic." Alex paused as she thought. "It's an escape from reality, and yet it feels like reality when you're reading. If it is well written, that is."

Alexis nodded. "Very true."

Alex moved to sit on the bed. "Want to talk about it?"

Alexis looked down at her hands. "Not really."

Alex nodded. "I understand. When I broke it off with my first real boyfriend, I didn't want to leave my room for a week. And it wasn't that he was a bad guy or that the relationship wasn't working, I just wasn't ready for a steady relationship yet. How long were you together?"

"I don't know," Alexis shrugged, "a couple years when you add it all up, I guess. We were together in high school, then he went away to Stanford and we eventually broke up. Then I went to Stanford too, and we got back together again. Why is it harder to break up the second time around than it was the first time?"

Alex leaned back. "When you broke up the first time, was it face to face or over some electronic device?"

"The phone." Alexis shook her head. "It was easier because we didn't have to see the other's reactions."

"And who broke it off this time?"

"He did." Alexis sniffed and grabbed a tissue. "He said it wouldn't work out because we were too different. And then I found out that he was dating another girl while he was dating me. Was I really not good enough for him? He had to date two girls to get his rocks off? How could I have been so blind?"

Alex grabbed Alexis' shoulder. "Hey, no, that's not it. Look, from what I can see, you are an amazing young woman. Look at your life. Your dad has enough money for you to do whatever you wanted to, even if all you wanted to do was travel halfway around the world to see a concert for your favorite band. But is that something you actually do?" Alexis shook her head. "Then there is your dad. From what I've seen of his reputation, he was a bit of a playboy before Detective Beckett came into his life."

Alexis nodded. "That's true."

"Now look at you. Look at your room. I don't see you spending your dad's money on all the latest and greatest toys. You do have a fairly new computer and music system, but I suspect that was more your father's doing than yours. Your music is all classical, Taylor Swift, and Adele with a little oldies thrown in for good measure. And from what Detective Beckett and your dad have told me about you, you sound like one of the most level headed young, child-of-a-celebrity girls I have ever seen. You are not the average, wild, party-till-you-drop celebutant. If anything, your ex is the one who is blind. If he couldn't see you for who you truly are, then he doesn't deserve you."

Alexis looked up with teary eyes. "Thanks." She sighed. "You're good. How did you know that would cheer me up? I don't think Kate could have said it any better. And my dad would have completely messed it up."

Alex smiled. "I would imagine that Kate is more than capable of comforting a young woman in pain. And you should give your dad some credit; he's smarter than he sometimes appears to be." Alexis laughed. "But I guess that since I'm closer to your age, my advice seems more relevant. Ready to go back down?"

Alexis shook her head. "I need a couple more minutes."

Alex smiled. "Okay. You'll have to tell me more about that book." Alex went back downstairs to the kitchen.

Kate looked up when Alex walked in. "Is she okay?" Alex nodded. "What happened?"

Alex refilled her glass. "She's a little sensitive when it comes to romantic topics at the moment."

Ryan still looked clueless. "Why's that? I thought her and Ashley were doing good?"

Alex sat down at the table again. "And you call yourself a detective? Beckett, if I'm killed by someone who isn't the Shadow Fox, don't let him head up the investigation."

The laughter around the table masked Alexis' reappearance. By the time anyone but Kate and Alex noticed, two hands had already gone past and Alexis was back to reading her book. Alex eventually dropped out again and joined Alexis at the bar to talk about the book. Around 10:30, Ryan looked at his watch and decided it was time for him to go home. Esposito, Alex, and Martha joined him in saying goodbye. The chips were cashed out and another date was set. After the door closed behind those that were leaving, Alexis sensed that Kate and her dad were about to ask her what had happened earlier, so she asked them about the case as a pre-emptive strike.

Kate knew what Alexis was doing, but she also understood the why and let it drop. "Well, Gates thinks that we have the Shadow Fox, but I don't agree."

"Why's that?"

Kate joined Alexis at the bar. "He doesn't have a solid alibi for the latest hit, which is why Gates likes him for it, but he does have very solid alibis for some of the others, which is why I don't agree. On the other hand, a fingerprint and hair that belonged to him were found at the scene."

Alexis closed her book. "Could they have been planted?"

Rick returned from putting the poker table away. "I think so, but we would have to prove that he wasn't at the scene in the first place. No one at the bar he claims he went to that night can remember if he was there, and the security cameras in the bar are fake."

"What about traffic cameras?"

Kate looked at Rick. "If the cameras in the area were working, we could see if Maguire was in the area…"

Rick joined in. "It wouldn't put him in the bar…"

"But it could put him in the area, and that bar is on the other side of town from the Roosevelt." Kate grabbed her phone and speed dialed Ryan. "Ryan, I need you to check with Traffic Control in the morning and get a hold of the footage from the traffic cameras in the area around the 1472 Sports Café Bar. See if any of those cameras caught Maguire on tape the night of Colleen's murder."

Ryan sounded confused, but that was probably the alcohol talking. "_Why are we trying to clear Maguire again?_"

Kate rolled her eyes. "He has solid alibis for half of our Shadow Fox cases. We don't need an innocent man to take the fall for someone else's crimes."

Kate could almost hear Ryan nodding as he caught on. "_Okay_."

"Have the Maguire's financials arrived yet?"

"_No. The bank said they were going to send them first thing in the morning_."

Kate nodded. "Thanks Ryan." She ended the call. "Alexis, you are brilliant."

Alexis smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: See what I meant by a lot planned? I hope this doesn't seem like it was off on a tangent or anything. I just wanted to show our favorite group of friends hanging out together and give Alexis a chance to have some input on the case. Side note: Martha-isms are very hard to write. I doubt I got it even close to Martha's voice. So, I give a huge high-five and thumbs up to the people that wrote/write the ones for the show (my favorite is, "You is who you is, and if you ain't who you is, who is you?" from episode 1x09. What's yours?****) Please read and review, I'm feeling a little lonely…JK. Please leave a comment though; I do love getting feedback. Thanks!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: We're starting this chapter the day after the poker game. There is a tiny reference to Season 1, Episode 4 in here. Can you spot it?**

* * *

Chapter 28

Kate sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. The Maguire's financials had arrived an hour ago, and Neski's had arrived fifteen minutes later. Beckett's team, minus Ryan, had been combing through them ever since. In the last few days of Colleen's life, nothing had popped. Daniel's accounts didn't show large deposits or transfers coming in, so he probably wasn't hiring out his expertise as a killer; at the same time, there were no large amounts going out, so he didn't hire someone like the Shadow Fox to kill his wife or Neski. All in all, this meant that Beckett's theory that this case was personal to the Shadow Fox was becoming more and more likely. Right now, they busy retracing both Maguires' and Neski's electronic footsteps to see where the Shadow Fox might have crossed their paths and discover what Colleen and Neski had been working on. Ryan was still working on tracking down the various Roosevelt guards to see if any of them knew anything about the missing blond imposter.

Esposito hung up his phone. "Got a hit. Mr. Maguire was at a Java Loft at the corner of East 90th and 1st Ave. The manager thinks there may have been someone with him. He's going to check the security cameras."

Beckett nodded. "Go check it out. Ryan, got anything?"

Ryan hung up his phone. "CSU came up with a bust. No fingerprints on the roof. They did find a blond hair, but it was synthetic."

"A wig?" Ryan nodded and Beckett groaned. "What about the guards? Do they know how someone who doesn't work there could have run their roof checks?"

Ryan shook his head. "So far, no one I've talked to remembers the blond guard."

"Thanks Ryan. Keep it up." Beckett checked her email and saw that Traffic Control had sent the footage Ryan had requested. "On second thoughts, have Esposito finish that list when he gets back. Traffic Control just sent the footage you requested. See if you can find Maguire anywhere."

It was Ryan's turn to groan as he got to work.

* * *

Esposito returned an hour later with a police sketch of Maguire's date and her receipt. "Got this from one of the girls that worked there. And guess what? The cameras cut out just after Maguire arrived but before she did. An hour later, they came back on and both Maguire and the girl had disappeared. Manager had no idea until he went to check the video."

Beckett stood up and took the receipt from Esposito. "This is our mystery woman's receipt?"

Esposito nodded. "And we got a credit card number."

Beckett handed the receipt back. "Run it. Any luck Ryan?"

"Not yet." Ryan looked up. "There are a lot of cameras. Any chance someone else can help me out?"

Beckett smirked. "I think we can figure something out. Castle, grab a computer; Ryan what have you looked at so far?"

* * *

Beckett was waiting in the Interrogation Room when Maguire was brought up from holding. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot. Beckett couldn't tell if it was lack of sleep or tears. Castle had spotted Maguire at the corner of East 83rd and 3rd Ave. ten minutes before his wife was murdered. There was no way that he could have gotten to the Roosevelt to kill the P.I., been at that corner fifty minutes later to be caught on camera, and then returned to the Roosevelt in less than ten minutes to kill his wife. Gates was furious that Beckett's team had proven Maguire was innocent.

Maguire sat down. "What now?"

Beckett pulled the still from the traffic camera out of her folder. "We found this on a traffic camera at East 83rd and 3rd Ave. We know you didn't kill your wife."

Maguire looked like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. "So why am I still here?"

Beckett picked the traffic camera photo up and put it back in her folder. "We think the real killer may have crossed paths with you before your wife's death." She pulled out the police sketch of the mystery women out of the folder. "Do you know this woman?"

Maguire nodded. "That's Pamela Kreutz. She's a reporter, or a journalist. She said she was going to do a piece on impressive women in Manhattan and wanted to include my wife."

"She was with you at a Java Loft the day of your wife's death?"

Maguire nodded. "She met me there. She wanted to interview me for the piece. Get another perspective on Colleen or something."

Beckett pulled out a notepad. "What did you talk about?

"What Colleen did, where she worked, the kinds of cases she was involved with, if she was working on any cases at the moment. Honestly, it seemed like she was conducting an interview for a news story. None of the questions were unusual."

Beckett finished writing. "And Pamela Kreutz. Did anything about her seem off?"

Maguire looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Her hair, her eyes, her demeanor; did any of that look or seem like it was fake or an act?"

Maguire closed his eyes. "The hair color was fake; I think her hair would normally be black because that was the color of her roots. But I think her eyes were always green. At least, it didn't look like she was wearing colored contacts or anything."

Beckett stood. "Thank you, Mr. Maguire. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Maguire stood. "Detective, do you think that woman killed my wife?"

Beckett shook her head. "We're just trying to see if anyone you talked to might have. It is more likely that if the killer crossed one of your paths, it was with your wife or Neski."

Maguire stood his ground. "But could she be responsible?"

Beckett just looked at him. "I'm afraid I can't discuss the details of a case, Mr. Maguire. Not even with you."

Esposito looked up as Maguire was escorted out of the building and Beckett returned to her desk. "No hits on who the mystery guard is. The guard on duty at the time said that faux-Blondie claimed he was new and was eager to take on some responsibilities. No one has seen him since."

Beckett nodded. "Makes sense. If he was using a disguise, he wouldn't continue to work there after his job was done. What about Pamela Kreutz? Do we have an address yet?"

Esposito nodded. "She lives in the Bronx. The Davidson Apartments, uh, 2501 Davidson Ave. near West 190th. Apartment number 722. Ryan went to get the warrant. And I've left messages with all the major newspapers in the city; we'll find out if any of them have a Pamela Kreutz working there."

Ryan got off the elevator. "I got the warrant for Pamela Kreutz's apartment."

Beckett stood and grabbed her gun out of her desk drawer. "Let's go."

* * *

Beckett parked the car near the building Pamela Kreutz lived. Esposito and Ryan pulled up behind her. Everyone checked their gear and Beckett reminded Castle to stay out of the apartment until it had been cleared as a couple patrol cars pulled up as backup. Beckett held up the sketch of their suspect and everyone nodded. One of the uniforms grabbed a ram from his car's trunk and they entered the building. Because Kreutz's apartment was on the seventh floor, Beckett and company took the elevator up. Apartment 722 had a numeric keypad in the wall next to the door and the door looked brand new. From inside the apartment came to sounds of country music playing loudly.

Beckett knocked on the door. "Pamela Kreutz, NYPD, open up. We have a warrant to search the premises."

No one answered. Beckett listened for a moment before she recognized the song as one of Alexis' favorites from Taylor Swift. She knocked again and repeated the warning before stepping out of the way and letting the uniform with the ram bust the door in. It took three hits with the ram before it gave and the cops swarmed the apartment. Beckett followed the sounds of the music toward the back of the apartment and found herself outside what must have been a bathroom. Beckett took up a position next to the door and Esposito moved to cover her. At the count of three, Beckett swung the door open.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Beckett was greeted by a high pitched scream and found she was facing someone familiar. "Alex?

Alex was sitting on the floor wearing gloves and clutching a scrub brush. "Hi?" She put the scrub brush in the tub. "Give me a minute to restart my heart."

Beckett lowered her gun. "What are you doing here?"

Alex stood up and grabbed the moveable shower head. "I live here." She turned on the water and started rinsing out the tub. "What are you doing here?"

Beckett holstered her gun. "We're looking for Pamela Kreutz."

"Oh, well now that takes me back." Alex shut off the water and pealed off her gloves.

"What do you mean?"

"It was my first alias when I moved to New York." Alex walked out of the bathroom and entered the living room. "But that was four years ago. I lived in this apartment back then too. Oh no, did you guys break my lock?" She moved to the door to examine the frame. "Crap. I'll have to see if Ewan can fix it."

Beckett had followed Alex. "Ewan?"

Alex grabbed her phone and started texting. "My boyfriend. He's an electrician; he installed the lock when I first got it."

"Ewan Brebnor?"

Alex looked up, surprised. "You know him?"

Beckett nodded. "He was a suspect in the Caldwell murder for a bit."

Alex laughed. "Really? He never mentioned that. I'll have to ask him about it." She finished the text and put her phone down. "Why are you looking for Pamela Kreutz?"

Beckett pulled the sketch out of a pocket of her vest. "She was at a Java Loft with the husband of one of our victims. Her credit card was used. Do you still have any of your old credit cards?"

Alex looked upset. "When is Disposal going to tighten security?"

"What?"

Alex sat down. "When Hardy and Drew issues an alias, you are given a drivers license, a passport, credit cards, whatever you need to make the alias seem real. When an alias is no longer in use, you have to turn everything they gave you back in, and Hardy and Drew are very good at keeping track of what went out and came back in. After you turn your stuff in, everything gets sent to Disposal to be destroyed. About seven years ago, my company had to go through a purge because a group of employees from Disposal had been caught stealing things like credit cards and equipment for making I.D.s, stuff like that. They were either selling them on the Black Market or using them themselves." Alex sighed. "Seven years ago wasn't the first time this has happened, and obviously it won't be the last. A new ring must have started up again."

Castle jumped in. "Or not all of the thieves were caught last time."

Alex nodded and Beckett shook her head. "So we're looking for someone who doesn't exist."

Alex grimaced. "Looks like it."

* * *

Back at the precinct, Beckett's team was checking out several avenues looking for a lead. Beckett was frustrated. This case was personal to the Shadow Fox, which meant that they were running out of options. Esposito was at Sullivan and Cromwell talking to Colleen's colleges, Ryan was combing through the Maguire's financial records, and Beckett had just finished trying to track down Neski's P.I. business; apparently, he was self-employed and worked alone. The Chicago P.D. had agreed to co-ordinate and was going through all of Neski's files to see if they could find anything relevant to the investigation.

Ryan stood up and came over to Beckett's desk. "Got something. About a month ago, Neski was here, supposedly on a business trip…"

Castle interrupted. "But he was probably here to work on the Rathborne/Shadow Fox case."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, around that time, Colleen made a purchase at a Capitol One Bank in the Bronx. I found out what she bought: it was a rental for a safety deposit box. I'm thinking that she may have kept a copy of their notes at the bank just in case they were lost or stolen."

Beckett stood up. "Or to make sure that if they were killed, the information would be around for the police to find. Let's go."

* * *

Esposito was waiting for them at the bank. "Bank's manager is looking at the records. He won't let me see the contents of the box though. You guys get the warrant?"

Ryan held it up as the manager approached. "Colleen Maguire cancelled her box yesterday. And it has been emptied. I am very sorry."

Ryan handed the manager the warrant. "We're still going to need to see that box."

The manager examined the search warrant. "Of course. Right this way."

Castle fell into his spot next to Beckett as they walked. "Colleen has been dead for almost four days. How can her box have been personally cancelled and emptied yesterday?"

Beckett shook her head. "We'll ask him after we see the box."

The manager unlocked the box and pulled it out. "Here we are. Lucky for you, no one has rented it out yet or this would have been more problematic."

Beckett raised her eyebrows but said nothing as she let a CSU process the box. The tech took several photographs, dusted for prints and swabbed for DNA before leaving the vault with the collected samples. The manager didn't protest until after the tech was done, but he voiced his questions now that she had left.

Beckett stepped forward to answer. "Mr. Hammond. Colleen Maguire was murdered almost four days ago. Who was it that closed the account?"

The manager was in shock. "The records say that Mrs. Maguire closed the account in person!"

Beckett tried to look sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hammond, but I'm going to need to see your security footage for yesterday. It's possible that Colleen's killer is the one who cleaned out the account."

The manager nodded and led them to the security center. After a quick conversation with the guard, the video of the previous day began to play on some of the screens. Beckett watched as a woman dressed in the typical lawyer's pantsuit approached the desk with a briefcase, signed in, and entered the vault. Inside the vault, she went straight to the box and carefully emptied out the box in relative privacy. Beckett noticed that she seemed to be wearing gloves. _So much for prints_. After she was done, the box was locked up again and she left the vault. When she returned to the front desk, she signed more paperwork, shook the teller's hand, and left. The guard had frozen the video whenever a somewhat clear image appeared onscreen and printed out several stills. Beckett also had the guard get a close-up of the briefcase and gave it and a headshot to Esposito to show to Colleen's colleges. The woman herself looked like Colleen, but it wasn't. Whoever it was, they had to be wearing some sort of disguise. Beckett groaned; they still had no idea who the killer was, and the last of the clues had just been stolen.

* * *

**A/N: I know there was a lot of info in this chapter, but it was time to wrap up this segment in the case. The next chapter will be the start of a mini-side case. Thanks for sticking with me. Please leave a comment, it will motivate me to work faster. :) Oh, and for those of you wondering, the reference was the Java Loft. I know, very small…**


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. We're at the end of the latest Shadow Fox case (it ended last chapter, but there is a brief mention at the beginning of this one) and the start of the next mini/side case. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 29

Chicago P.D. sent over everything they thought might be relevant to the Shadow Fox investigation, but Beckett's team quickly discovered that the information was useless. The lab had finally found the time to process what the CSU tech had collected from the safe deposit box, but it too was a bust. The rest of their leads had dead-ended as well. Beckett hated to admit it, but as May turned into June and then July, they were out of fresh leads. After a quick conversation with Captain Gates, the Maguire/Neski case joined the previous five unsolved Shadow Fox cases in the cold case pile Beckett kept on her desk.

The next day, Beckett was working off her frustration with a punching bag at the precinct when her cell phone rang.

She was out of breath when she answered. "Beckett. Okay, I'm on my way." She hung up and headed to the locker room to shower.

* * *

The summer intersession courses were in full swing at NYU as Beckett pulled up to the scene and saw that several news vans had already arrived. _Great, this case is already high profile_. She parked and walked through the sea of reporters and looky-loos begging her for a comment to the police line that was keeping the crowd out of the crime scene. A flashed badge and a duck under the tape later, Beckett found herself inside NYU's Bobst Library. Castle was standing next to the elevators with Esposito, who was waiting to fill her in.

"I thought you were spending the day outlining your next book."

Castle shrugged. "Writer's block."

Beckett smiled and shook her head. "What do we got?"

"The victim is on the fifth floor." Esposito fell into step with her on their way to the body. "According to her school I.D., the victim is Angela Santa-Rosa. Hispanic female, 22; she's a senior here, majoring in Journalism, set to graduate in the fall." They had arrived at the body. "I've already contacted her mother. She's driving in from Haverstraw."

Lanie was examining Angela's body for her preliminary report. The body was slumped over her books, eyes closed and head resting on her arms. There was no sign of a drug overdose and from Beckett's angle there was no sign of external trauma. If it weren't for the swarm of police and CSU techs, she might have just been sleeping.

Beckett leaned in for a better look. "Cause of death?"

Lanie looked up. "No signs of a gunshot, stab wound, or any other kind of external trauma."

Castle was surprised. "So how'd she die?"

Lanie shrugged. "I have no idea. I'll have to get her back to the morgue to find out."

Beckett straightened up. "Witnesses?"

Esposito pointed to where Ryan was standing. "Over there. We're still taking their statements. So far though, no one actually saw what happened."

Beckett took a look around. "How can a young girl, who looks fairly healthy, just drop dead in the middle of a library without anyone shooting, stabbing, or otherwise harming her?"

Ryan joined them. "Most of the statements say they didn't see anything. The one that called it in is one of her Journalism classmates, a Kevin Hardigen. He says, and I quote, 'We have a class at 11. I thought she was sleeping when I found her. I tried to wake her up, but she didn't move. I took a first aid class a couple years ago and remembered that you should check for a pulse, but I didn't feel one. That's when I called the campus security.'" Ryan put away his notebook. "One of the other kids said she made a face when she took a drink from her water bottle and was asleep when they looked at her again a couple minutes later, but other than that, I'm not getting much."

Beckett turned to Esposito. "Did CSU bag her water bottle?"

Esposito went to check with a tech and Castle looked back at Angela's body as it was taken away. "Are you thinking she may have been poisoned?"

Beckett nodded. "Lack of external trauma suggests it as a possibility."

Esposito returned. "He said that no water bottles have been collected, but they're still processing the scene."

Beckett shook her head. "Someone might have taken the murder weapon."

* * *

The murder board was still almost empty once they returned from the scene to fill it up. Beckett examined what they did have. A search of her dorm room revealed that she was a quiet student. There was a computer on her desk that contained her class and personal schedule and a bar-coded locker key on a stretchy bracelet had been in a drawer with some of her gym clothes. Mandy Brewster, Angela's roommate, told them that she was on the basketball team through a scholarship, which is also how she had been able to afford to go to school. When Beckett asked where she could find the coach, she was told that Coach Elysburg was away on a recruiting trip and wouldn't be back on campus until the next morning.

Beckett sat down at her desk. Normally, the portrait of their victim had more information than this. But without a cause of death or any apparent motive, it was hard to figure out what had happened at the scene. At the moment, Lanie was busy with the autopsy and Angela's mother was on her way in. Ryan was working on getting the surveillance footage of the library, and Esposito was on the phone tracking down Angela's financial and phone records. Hopefully they would have more information on the board soon.

Just then the elevator chimed and Angela's mother was escorted into the lounge. Beckett and Castle followed to talk to her.

"Mrs. Santa-Rosa, thank you for coming."

Mrs. Santa-Rosa shook her head. "No hablo Inglés."

Castle went and got Esposito, who quickly explained that he would translate. "Voy a traducer para usted."

Mrs. Santa-Rosa nodded and Beckett began. "Mrs. Santa-Rosa, thank you for coming. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"La señora de Santa-Rosa, gracias por venir. Lo siento mucho por su pérdida."

"I would like to ask you some questions about your daughter."

"Me gustaría hacerle algunas preguntas acerca de su hija."

Mrs. Santa-Rosa nodded. "Por supuesto."

"Of course."

"When was the last time you saw your daughter?"

"¿Cuándo fue la última vez que vio a su hija?"

Santa-Rosa started to cry. "Mi Angela, la vi hace una semana. Volvió a casa para lavar la ropa. Era el cumpleaños de su hermano. Ella era tan especial. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué hicieron esto a mi angelito?"

Esposito turned to Beckett. "She says she saw her last week when she came home for her brother's birthday and to do her laundry. Her daughter is so special. Why did they to this to her little angel?"

"Did Angela ever talk to you about any problems she might be having? A boyfriend or other students?"

"¿Sabía Angela jamás hablar con usted sobre cualquier problema que pueda estar teniendo? ¿Un novio o de otros estudiantes?"

Mrs. Santa-Rosa visibly bristled at the suggestion. "¡No! Mi Angela no meterse en problemas. Ella era una buena chica. Ella iba a la universidad. El primero en la familia. Estaba marcando el estándar para todos mis hilos, para el barrio. Iba a hacerlo. Iba a ser un periodista, un escritor."

"No, Angela was a good girl. She was the first to go to college and was setting the standard for the children in the neighborhood. She was going to be a journalist."

"Was Angela seeing anyone?"

"¿Angela fu ver a nadie?"

Angela's mother looked proud through her tears. "No. Ella tenía sus clases y el baloncesto. Eso fue todo. Yo le dije: 'Usted puede casarse después de haber terminado con la escuela. Habrá tiempo después. Usted es un americano. Se puede vivir sus sueños.'"

"No. She had her classes and basketball. She told her: 'You can marry after school. You are an American. Live your dreams.'"

"I understand Angela had a basketball scholarship to attend NYU."

"Entiendo que Angela tenía una beca de baloncesto para asistir a la NYU."

The proud look in Mrs. Santa-Rosa's eyes had been dulled by sorrow. "Si. Ella no habría sido capaz de ir de otra manera. Tengo seis hijos. Yo trabajo como señora de la limpieza. No pueden permitirse enviar a ninguno de mis hijos a la universidad. Cuando Ángela dijo que quería ir a la Universidad de Nueva York, me rompió el corazón porque sabía que no podía enviar. Pero ella se encargó de eso. Practicó el baloncesto todos los días para convertirse en lo suficientemente bueno para obtener esa beca. Yo estaba tan orgulloso de ella cuando nos enteramos."

"Yes. She wouldn't have been able to go without it. She has six children and works as a maid. She can't afford to send her kids to college. It broke her heart when Angela said she wanted to go to NYU. But Angela took care of that by practicing basketball everyday until she was good enough to get that scholarship. She was so proud when Angela found out she'd earned it."

"Can you think of anyone how would want to hurt your daughter?"

"¿Puede pensar en alguien que quisiera hacerle daño a su hija?"

Mrs. Santa-Rosa shook her head. "No. Nadie."

Esposito shook his head and Beckett nodded. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Santa-Rosa. I'm going to have an officer take you home."

"Gracias por su tiempo, la señora de Santa-Rosa. Yo voy a tener un official lo lleve a casa."

Mrs. Santa-Rosa stood. "¿Qué pasó con ella? ¿Quién hizo esto? ¿Por qué?"

Esposito stood and looked Angela's mother in the eye. "Eso es lo que estamos tratando de averiguarlo. Vamos a atrapar a la persona que hizo esto. Usted tiene nuestra palabra."

Mrs. Santa-Rosa nodded. "Gracias."

Beckett watched as Angela's mother was escorted out by an officer. "What did you say to her at the end?"

Esposito turned away from Angela's mother. "She asked what happened and who did it. I told her that we would find out. And I promised that we would get the person who did this."

Beckett headed to her desk. "Let's get to work then."

* * *

**A/N: To all of my Spanish speaking readers, I apologize if any of the Spanish in this chapter was incorrect. I can only speak about thirty words in Spanish, and I know nothing about the grammatical structure, so I used Google translate to figure out the closest translation for those parts. If it is completely incorrect, partially incorrect, or way off the mark, blame Google. Please read and review, I'm missing all the feedback. Thanks! ¡Gracias!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: I tried to think of something witty to say, but I got nothing. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 30

Lanie called Beckett and Castle down to the morgue just after 5pm. She jumped into her report as soon as they arrived. "Before you even ask, I still have no idea what killed this poor girl."

Beckett stopped next to the table. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I found a lot of stuff during her autopsy, but nothing that can tell me what killed her. I mean, she wasn't shot, stabbed, or suffocated, and there was no sign of blunt force trauma, air embolism, stroke, heart attack, or a broken neck. Also, tox panel came back negative on common poisons, drugs, or anything that might have been ingested or inhaled without her knowledge."

Castle looked surprised. "What did you find?"

"Her lungs were congested and heavy, which could indicate poison, but her organs appear normal overall. I also found pinpoint petechial hemorrhages…"

Beckett interrupted. "Don't petechial hemorrhages mean asphyxia?"

"Normally yes, but there were no airway obstructions and she wasn't strangled, so I'm not sure what caused them."

Beckett was beginning to get frustrated. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

Lanie moved to Angela's hand. "Well, I'm not sure. See these Mees' lines in her fingernails?"

Castle interrupted. "So she was poisoned."

Lanie shook her head. "Not according to the tox panel. Mees' lines can be caused by a variety of things. They can be symptoms of some diseases, like malaria and Hodgkin's as well as the result of arsenic and heavy metal poisoning which can cause them too. According to the autopsy, I have no reason to think that she had a disease, but I'll have the labs confirm that. I also found a hair on her body; it wasn't hers, so I sent it to the lab."

Beckett nodded. "What else did you find?"

Lanie pointed to an x-ray. "She had a ruptured Anterior Inferior Tibiofibular Syndesmotic Ligament. It's an injury commonly found in professional athletes."

Castle turned away from the light box. "What's an Anterior Inferior Tibia thingy?"

Lanie smirked. "In short? It would have been a very painful ankle injury. Somehow her doctors either missed it or misdiagnosed it."

Beckett looked at Angela's ankle. "Could she have played basketball on that kind of injury?"

Lanie shook her head. "Not a chance. She would have been in pain just walking around campus. She needed surgery."

Beckett grimaced. "Poor girl. Anything else?"

Lanie looked at the chart. "This may not be relevant, but she had sex in the hours before her death."

Castle returned to Beckett's side. "She was raped?"

Lanie shook her head. "No sign of that. And I found traces of spermacide."

"So a condom was used, which means no DNA." Beckett nodded. "Do you know how long before her death?"

"Within 24 hours. I'll see if I can pinpoint when, but without semen, I doubt I'll be able to give you a better timeframe."

"Thanks Lanie."

* * *

Beckett and Castle returned to the campus of NYU early the next morning to catch Angela's coach before the team's Summer Camp morning practice. Coach Elysburg brought them to her office and offered them coffee before she sat down and asked what they wanted to talk about.

Beckett held up Angela's autopsy photo. "Do you know this young woman?"

The coach took the photo. "That's Angela Santa-Rosa. I heard she died yesterday. It's a great tragedy. What happened?"

Beckett took back the photo. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Do you know anyone who would have wanted to harm her?"

The Coach shook her head. "No. The team loved her. She was my game girl; perfect attitude, no ego. It killed me when I had to cut her from the team and pull her scholarship."

Castle sat up. "Why did you cut her from the team?"

"She had a high ankle sprain. When it didn't respond to physical therapy, I was forced to cut her."

Beckett frowned. "She didn't have a high ankle sprain. It was a ruptured major ligament. She needed surgery."

The Coach closed her eyes in regret. "No wonder."

Beckett stood and held up the key from Angela's dorm room. "We need to take a look in her locker. Which one is it?"

Coach Elysburg shook her head. "That's not one of ours. We have keypad locks."

After exchanging a look of surprise, Beckett and Castle thanked Coach Elysburg for her time and left.

* * *

Beckett updated the board when they got back. The notation about the key was changed from 'gym locker' to a big question mark. She also added that Angela had been cut from the school's basketball team and that her scholarship had been pulled.

Esposito came to stand next to her. "Her scholarship was pulled?"

Beckett capped the marker. "Yep. That ankle injury needed surgery, but the coach and school doctors thought it was just a high ankle sprain that wasn't responding to rehab."

Castle set a coffee down on Beckett's desk. "Which brings us to the question of: how did she pay for school? Her mother couldn't afford to pay her tuition."

Beckett turned to Esposito. "Look into it. Where's Ryan?"

Esposito returned to his desk. "He's talking to her dorm mates, seeing if anyone knows anything about a boyfriend or enemies."

The elevator dinged and Ryan stepped out. "Hey guys."

Beckett sat down. "What'd you find?"

Ryan stopped next to Beckett's desk. "So I found out that Angela didn't have a boyfriend. Apparently she was taking her schoolwork pretty seriously and hasn't dated anyone her entire college career. I also talked to a Teddy Marshall, the R.A or Resident Advisor, and he said that she was a quiet girl who never had any problems. She'd complained about a couple classes a few semesters ago, but that was it. Everyone else I talked to said the same thing. Her best friend, Marie Chapel, on the other hand had a very interesting story to tell once she finally got around to spitting it out. Apparently, our girl lost her scholarship when…"

"She was cut from the team." Beckett pointed to the board. "We talked to the coach this morning."

Ryan looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, due to that little tidbit of information, I went to talk to the Bursar's Office and found out that even without her scholarship, her tuition was still paid in full. All $53,404 of it. That's for one year, but it also includes her dorm room and meals."

Castle sat down in his chair. "Her mother works as a maid and Angela is unemployed. Did she take out a loan?"

"Not legally if she did," Esposito called out from his computer. "I'm looking at her financials. There are no records of Angela Santa-Rosa taking out a loan of any kind."

Castle sat back and mused, "Then how, or where, did she get that kind of money?"

Beckett looked at the board. "What I want to know is: what is that key for? Ryan, look into the key. Esposito, keep looking into her life and focus on her computer. She might have some info on there. Look for the usual suspects. I'm going to see if Lanie has figured out cause of death yet."

* * *

An hour later, Lanie still had no idea how Angela had died and Beckett had returned to her desk to glare at the board. Beckett was frustrated. An expanded tox panel had come up empty, so Lanie was running a Micro Tox panel. Ryan thought he had found a few possible locations for the key, so Castle had joined him in the search for the locker. Esposito was busy searching Angela's laptop for anything that might tell them why she was murdered.

Beckett went to the break room for a coffee and was just returning to her desk when the elevator doors opened, delivering Ryan, Castle, and an evidence box to the homicide floor.

"Found Angela's secret locker." Ryan carried the evidence box into the Conference Room. "It was in a high-end gym and contained quite the exercise equipment." He opened the box and dumped the contents onto the table. "And we have a nice dress, some 'do me' heels, condoms, and some kinky toys."

Esposito was surprised. "She was selling herself for her tuition? Why?"

Beckett shook her head. "This girl was at the college of her dreams with a full-ride scholarship. Suddenly she finds herself injured, cut from the team, and her scholarship has been pulled. She didn't have the means to pay for school and wanted to stay."

Castle jumped in to help Beckett build her theory. "At this point, she's desperate. Her mother can't afford to keep her there, it is almost impossible to work enough hours in a minimum wage job to earn the money, and it can take way too long to pay off a loan."

"She turns to prostitution. A pimp is likely to have the money Angela needed to pay for her tuition. He pays that money up front, she works off the debt." Beckett's phone rang and she returned to her desk to answer it. "Beckett. Hey Lanie, what'd you find? Ok, thanks."

Castle was the first to ask. "Cause of death?"

"No. But the lab finished analyzing the hair. It's a synthetic hair, most likely from a toupee."

Esposito shuddered. "She was selling herself to a guy with a plastic rug?"

Ryan was grim. "Wouldn't be the first time that's happened."

"Wait." Esposito grabbed Angela's computer and returned to the Conference Room. "I couldn't make sense of it earlier, but I think this class schedule is actually her book. Prostitutes usually keep track of their clients with a list or book. I think this was hers."

Beckett leaned in to look. "How do you figure?"

"Previous semester schedules are on here and they line up with what she was taking at the time." Esposito pointed to a date. "But this semester's doesn't. In the notes for this date, the S.B. expands to 'Science, Biology'. She's not taking biology."

"Who calls a biology class 'Science, Biology' anyway?" Castle turned to Beckett. "It doesn't make sense."

"It does if it's a code." Beckett straightened up. "S.B. could be the initials; it's the name of one of her Johns."

Ryan was looking over Esposito's shoulder. "The day before she died, it looks like she had an Art History class."

"She wasn't taking Art History." Esposito clicked on the date to view the notation. "'2100: Mayor Act passed by A.H.' That's weird. 2100…That's military time."

Castle shook her head. "Now we know when she had sex."

Beckett nodded. "And where. There's a Mayor Hotel on Division near Eldridge. You guys should check it out."

"Her date will be the one who has a plastic rug." Castle suddenly got a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I wonder if he took it off." The boys looked at him blankly. "You know, during."

While the boys groaned, Beckett shook her head and returned to her desk. Before she sat down, she updated the board. Castle followed her out of the room, but Beckett lost track of him while she was busy writing. Esposito and Ryan exited the Conference Room as she sat down, grabbing their coats from their desks before they headed to the elevator to check out the Mayor Hotel. The doors opened and Ryan did a double take.

Esposito was smoother. "Alex. How are you?"

Alex shook his hand and smiled. "Okay. Is Detective Beckett around?"

Ryan pointed. "Yeah, she's at her desk."

"Thanks." The boys got onto the elevator and Alex made her way to Beckett's desk.

Castle wasn't in his seat when Alex got there, so she dropped into his spot.

"Castle, any chance…" Beckett looked up. "And you are not Castle. What's going on Alex?"

"Can I talk to you? In private?" Alex followed Beckett into the Evidence Room. "I think the Shadow Fox is still trying to kill me."

Beckett gestured to a chair and sat down. "How do you know? Have you gotten threats?"

"I got my boyfriend to fix my lock." Alex pulled a piece of paper from her bag. "It's one of those locks that are wirelessly connected to your computer so you know if anyone tried to break into your house by randomly punching numbers. Normally I get just a couple numbers a month, kids that are messing around with it, stuff like that." She handed the paper to Beckett. "These were the codes entered just yesterday."

Beckett took a look. "That's a lot of attempts. How do you know its the Shadow Fox?"

"Because the numbers are not random. He used numbers that might be important to me; my birthday, phone numbers I've had, both of my fathers' birth and death dates." Beckett looked up. "Kate, this guy knows a lot about me. He even used my social security number. It has to be the Shadow Fox, who else could it be?"

Beckett shook her head. "Good thing your company got those security upgrades." Alex didn't look comforted. "Alex, it's going to be okay. I'll have a uniform sitting on your place to keep an eye on you. At least you know your house is a fortress."

Alex scoffed. "Small comforts."

"Would it make you feel better if I was on the detail?" Beckett was carefully watching Alex. "If it will, I'm there. Okay?"

Alex slowly nodded. "Yeah. But I can't make you do that. You're busy enough already."

Beckett smiled. "But friends watch each other's backs. And I count you as a friend. When the boys get back, I'll let them know we have a stakeout tonight. Do you want someone to take you home?"

Alex nodded. Beckett grabbed Officer Velazquez and sent Alex home with her. Beckett watched from the break room as they got on the elevator and the doors closed. She finished making herself a coffee before returning to her desk. Castle was sitting in his seat, waiting patiently for his fiancée to return to her post and their case. A carton of Chinese takeout was on her desk next to her keyboard. _So that was where he had disappeared to earlier_. She smiled as she sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started to eat.

* * *

**A/N: What will happen to Alex? Will Beckett and team find the cause of death? Stay tuned...**


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: I have no new reviews to write about, so it's to the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 31

Ryan and Esposito returned from the Mayor Hotel just after 3pm. "We found Angela's John. Hotel gave us security footage too."

Beckett held out her hand. "Let's see what you've got."

Esposito handed over the DVD. Beckett slipped the disc into her computer and pressed play. They all watched as an older man with an obvious hair piece exited the elevator and entered a room almost directly across from the lift. Ten minutes later, they saw Angela exit the elevator and then pause outside the room as though she wanted nothing to do with what was about to happen.

Castle's hand had clenched into a fist on top of Beckett's desk. "Look at her. This is the last thing she wants to do."

Beckett nodded and covered his hand with her own. "I know."

After a minute, Angela put on a forced smile and knocked on the door. It swung open, revealing the man who had entered earlier. He was holding two Champagne flutes, one of which he handed to her before grabbing her other wrist and pulling the reluctant girl into his room.

Beckett stopped the video. "Who's the John?"

Ryan opened his notebook. "Dr. Alain Heidecker, Mr. A.H. himself. Professor of Economics at NYU. Apparently, he's a regular; rents a room one night a week, every week, like clockwork. And Angela is not the only girl to visit him. The desk clerk calls her 'Third Week' because she always comes in the third week of the month."

"Animal." Beckett turned to look at an outraged Castle. "Sorry. I just hate it when a professor thinks he can use his students like sex toys."

"I know how you feel." Beckett smiled. "And I doubt it helps that she's around Alexis' age."

"No, it doesn't."

Esposito hit fast forward. "If you don't like what you've seen, I suggest you look away now."

Esposito hit play and Angela emerged from the room looking ashamed. Professor Heidecker followed her out looking very happy. He grabbed her hand to turn her around before placing his own on either side of her face and giving her a big kiss. Beckett and Castle watched in disgust as he backed back into his room with an amused, almost laughing expression on his face. After the door closed, Angela reached into her clutch and pulled out a napkin to wipe off her lips.

"Like she's trying to wipe away what she's become." Beckett ejected the disc. "Find out where this pervert lives. I want to talk to the bastard."

Esposito nodded. "On it."

* * *

Beckett stood outside an apartment with her team just three blocks away from NYU. An hour ago, Esposito had found out that the naughty professor lived here and the warrant had come in thirty minutes later. Beckett checked that Castle was waiting halfway down the hall before checking her gun one last time and nodding to Ryan. Ryan took up his position and banged on the door with the butt of his gun.

"NYPD! Open up! We have a warrant!"

Nobody responded. Ryan looked at Beckett, who nodded again. Ryan stepped back and kicked the door in. The smell of decomp hit them like a wave and all three detectives quickly covered their nose and mouth with their hands.

"Smells like day two." Esposito holstered his weapon. "Gun in his hand, hole through the side of his head. Looks like a suicide."

Beckett nodded and then moved in for a closer look. "Except it's not. Look, no blood on the gun slide or his hand. This has been staged. He was murdered."

Ryan pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call it in."

Ryan stepped out of the apartment to make the call while Castle came in handkerchief over his face. "Wow. That is really strong. Suicide or murder?"

"Murder." Beckett picked up the gun with a gloved hand. "Serial numbers have been filed off. We'll have to see if the lab can restore them." She slid the gun into an evidence bag and sealed it.

Esposito returned from searching the rest of the apartment. "It's clear. I doubt the killer went anywhere else in this place, but we'll let CSU make that call."

Castle pulled on a pair of gloves. "Do you think it's the same person who killed Angela?"

Beckett was looking through Professor Heidecker's mail. "Probably. They knew we would figure out she was working as a prostitute when we started looking through her life. The professor obviously knew something and had to be silenced."

"Do you think the pimp could be the killer?"

"Possibly." Beckett turned around. "If she was ashamed of what she had become, she might have told the pimp that was didn't want to do it anymore."

Esposito nodded. "If there's one thing I learned working vice, it's that the pimps don't like it when the girls don't obey."

"If she said she was done, it would make sense that the pimp killed her. Then the police start digging around and he had to eliminate a threat." Castle turned as Ryan re-entered the apartment.

"Lanie's on her way. CSU shouldn't be far behind." Ryan covered his nose again. "I'll start canvassing the neighbors."

"Thanks Ryan. Javi, go ahead and help him. Castle and I will stay here."

* * *

When Lanie arrived, her preliminary report confirmed that Beckett's initial assessment was most likely correct. Ryan and Esposito's canvass had revealed that no one had seen or heard a thing. Considering that he had been killed in the middle of the day, Beckett found that this was both frustrating and understandable. Frustrating because it left them without any solid leads, and understandable because New Yorkers were rarely at home in the middle of the day; usually they were elsewhere in the city.

Beckett was still thinking about the case while they were on the stakeout outside Alex's apartment later that evening. Castle had gone to get coffee, but the street was still just as quiet as it had been before he left. _This case is so strange._ A girl who appears to be innocent was really a prostitute, and then the professor that used her "services" is murdered within hours of her death. They were gathering so much information about the victims, but they had no leads on the killer. Beckett's musings were interrupted when Castle opened the car door and handed her a fresh coffee.

"Here, just how you like it." Castle closed the door. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

Beckett shook her head and took a cautious sip. "Nope. Ryan said the same when I checked in ten minutes ago."

Castle settled into his seat. "Any thoughts on where you would like to go for a honeymoon?"

Kate smiled. Even though she had agreed to marry him, Rick still respected her need for space. Instead of becoming the kind of fiancé that could drive a woman crazy with his constant doting and hovering, Rick had realized that Kate would still want and need to be independent. And he actually wanted her input on things. Oh, how she loved that man.

"I don't know. My family didn't really travel out of the country when we went on vacation. I have been to Canada and the Caribbean; you know I spent some time in Russia…Why don't you surprise me?"

Castle smirked. "Oh, I know where I want to take you. I was checking to see if there was anywhere special; you know, somewhere you really wanted to go."

Beckett smiled and grabbed the walky. "You guys see anything?"

Esposito responded this time. "_Negative. Tell Castle thanks for the coffee_."

Castle grabbed Beckett's hand to speak. "No problem. I live to serve."

"Not until you met us." Beckett put the walky down and turned to see Castle's pouting face. "Come on. Even Alexis recognized that you had stopped being entirely self-centered and started really thinking about others. Besides her, I mean."

"Okay, Miss Detective, when was that?"

Beckett sat back in her seat to think. "It was a gradual change. I think I really started to notice it during your second year with us. You know, after you realized that digging into my mom's case could hurt me; but even then, you hadn't quite lost your playboy ways until after you broke up with your second ex-wife. Again."

Castle had a quick comeback. "What about the espresso machine?"

"You got that because the precinct coffee was terrible. You only said it was to thank us because you needed a reason for it to be there without it seeming selfish."

"Okay, fine. But I will have you know that it wasn't entirely selfish. I mean, let's face it, your coffee before was really bad. But," Castle made sure to add emphasis, "it was also to thank you guys. I'd been on ride-alongs before, but it was the first time where I got to feel like I was becoming a part of the team." Castle sat back and a smirk slowly began to spread across his face. "Out of curiosity, why'd it take you so long to start using it?"

Beckett blushed. "No reason." Castle just continued to look at her. "Okay, it felt like a bribe. And I thought that if I jumped right in there like the boys did, it would make me look like just another fangirl."

"Which you were."

"Maybe, but I still had a reputation to uphold." Beckett sipped her coffee. "Alex should be getting home soon."

Just then the radio crackled to life with the sound of Ryan's voice. "_Alex is on the approach_. _Stand by_."

Beckett grabbed the radio. "Ten-Four."

Beckett and Castle sat in tense anticipation for Alex to come into view. She was also keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Alex came into view a moment later as she walked under a streetlamp. She was clutching her purse and constantly glancing around warily. Beckett watched as she opened the ground floor door to her apartment building. _Good, safe for the night_.

Beckett grabbed the radio. "She's inside. Uni's are scheduled to cover the morning watch. See you boys tomorrow."

Esposito was the one to answer. "_Copy that_._ Have a good one_._ Over and out_."

* * *

Kate didn't go straight to bed that night. While Rick was busy getting a late snack and getting ready for bed, Kate took out her laptop and started to go through the Angela Santa-Rosa file again. She rechecked the autopsy report to see that Lanie had still been unable to identify the cause of death; the allergen panel had come back negative. Lanie had also sent her an email warning Kate that the cause of death might not be found on this one.

Kate was frustrated. This was the first time where the victim was providing less information than the people who knew her were. Usually she became frustrated when it was a suspect who refused to talk, or when they didn't have enough evidence to guarantee a conviction. This time, the victim was refusing to tell them how she had died.

After a while, Kate went into Rick's office to use the Smart Board. She powered it up, opened a new file, and started to list the people who had known Angela and what they knew about her.

**Mrs. Santa-Rosa, Angela's mother:** Angela was a good girl, scholarship basketball player, straight "A" student, future journalist, not dating. She came home on some weekends to do laundry and visit with family.

**Coach Elysburg:** Great attitude, great player, sorry to cut her ("high ankle sprain" forced her hand), scholarship pulled as a result.

**Marie Chapell, Angela's best friend:** Cut from the team with a "high ankle sprain", lost her scholarship, very upset about the cut, not dating.

**Teddy Marshall, the R.A.:** Quiet girl, rarely complained, no problems, not in a relationship.

**Kevin Hardigen, fellow student:** Had a class together, lots of potential, great girl, good friend, not dating, kept to herself a lot.

**Mandy Brewster, Angela's Roommate:** Quiet, studied a lot, no boyfriend, at school because of a basketball scholarship.

Kate stepped back. Everyone they talked to who actually knew Angela had a lot of the same things to say, but no one seemed to know that she had resorted to turning tricks to stay in school. _Who had a motive?_ Angela's mother would have been devastated to learn the lengths to which her daughter went to in order to get her education. Her best friend had been reluctant to talk, maybe she knew something; Kate made a mental note to look into it. The coach had an alibi for the time of death and no clear motive. An R.A. was responsible for looking after the kids on their floor, but his path had crossed Angela's so little, he lacked a motive. The fellow journalism student really only saw Angela in class and the roommate had been in class; neither of them seemed likely.

Kate yawned and looked at her watch to find it was 3am. Kate powered down the Smart Board and her laptop. Rick had long since gone to bed. Kate went into the bedroom and watched her love sleep. He was sleeping on his side with his back to the center of the bed, and as she watched, her frustration with the case started to melt away. She focused on his slow breathing; this man didn't care what happened in the case or how long it would take to solve it. He believed in her ability as a cop and would always be there to love and support her. Sure he would worry about her safety, just as she worried about his, but at least he stood beside her and supported her one hundred percent. She sighed and stripped out of her blouse and slacks, slid under the covers and molded her body into the curve of his. She snuggled her face into the hollow just above his shoulder and draped her arm over his side and across his chest. Rick moved one of his hands to cover hers and together they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Please read and review, I love it when you do.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and marya for their reviews. It's been a while since anyone commented, so it's good to know people are still reading! Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 32

Before Dr. Parish left the morgue around eight, she looked at the latest results from Toxicology. Angela Santa-Rosa's latest panel was at the top of the pile. Lanie was amazed to see that yet another set of tests were negative. It made no sense. Something had to have killed this girl because she was healthy in all respects. No puncture marks, no known poisons used, so how had she died? Lanie went into her office and turned on her computer. Maybe another M.E. had run into a similar case and could offer some help.

Dr. Parish sent an email with information from Angela's file to M.E. offices across the U.S. Maybe, just maybe, someone could point her in the right direction. Her cell phone rang to alert Lanie that a text had arrived. It was from dispatch. _Damn, just before her shift ended_. She sent a text to her fiancé, grabbed her keys and kit, and headed off to work.

* * *

The autopsy report for Professor Heidecker was on Beckett's desk when she arrived the next day. Cause of death had been obvious at the scene, but the time of death was a surprise. According to Lanie, the professor had been killed an hour after Angela, right when cops were in NYU's library investigating Angela's death. This meant the professor wasn't killed just because she died, there was more to it. Beckett updated the board.

"Ryan, where are we on the library footage?"

Ryan covered the receiver. "Getting the runaround. When I called before, they just wanted to know what time and which cameras; now the campus president is asking for a court order. I'm looking for a judge now."

Esposito sat down at his desk. "I just got the professor's financials. Maybe something will pop."

"Good." The elevator door opened as Beckett turned back to her desk. "Alexis?"

"Hi." Alexis sat down in her father's chair. "Dad's having a hard time concentrating on writing with me at home, so I left."

Beckett took her chair. "Okay. Why'd you come here?"

Alexis smiled. "I was actually hoping that Alex might be here. It was nice talking to her during the poker game last month."

"You should have been here yesterday; she stopped by."

Alexis moved to get up. "I'll go visit her then, where does she live?"

Beckett hesitated. "It would probably be safer for you if she came to you right now."

"Shadow Fox is hunting her again?" Beckett nodded. "That sucks. I guess I'll try emailing her tonight."

Beckett smiled. "Anything I can help you with?"

Alexis shook her head. "Not really. Is it okay if I hang out here for a bit?"

"Sure." Beckett returned to looking at the board and Alexis followed suit. "See anything I'm missing?"

Alexis shook her head again. A uniform stepped off the elevator escorting Angela's best friend Marie. Beckett pointed to the Interrogation Rooms and the uniform nodded.

Beckett turned to Alexis as she gathered up the file and stood. "Want to watch an interrogation?"

Alexis was watching Marie get escorted into Interrogation 1. "She's a suspect?"

"You'd be surprised who is capable of murder."

Beckett showed Alexis into the Observation Room before she opened the door to I1. "Hello Marie. Sorry about the room, the lounge was already taken."

Marie fidgeted in her chair. "Why am I here?"

Beckett opened a notebook. "A clerk misplaced the notes from your conversation with Detective Ryan, so I'm afraid we're going to have to redo that interview. Is that okay?"

Marie nodded. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Where were you when Angela was killed?"

"In class; The History of Media in Politics. I'm a PoliSci major." Marie was starting to relax a little.

Beckett finished writing. "And you were her best friend?"

"Yes."

Beckett smiled. "I remember with my best friend growing up, we used to talk about everything. Was it like that with the two of you?"

Marie looked down. "I guess."

Beckett nodded. "Were you aware that she had been cut from the school's basketball team?" Marie nodded. "How did she take that?"

"She was upset." Marie looked down at her hands. "She took it pretty hard. She was sad about a lot of things after that."

Beckett waited until Marie looked up again. "Do you know how she was paying for school without her scholarship?"

Marie shook her head. "No." Beckett waited but it looked like Marie was done talking.

"Let me get this straight." It was time to stop playing good cop. "You are her best friend, the only person she told about getting cut from the team, but you have no idea how she was paying for school? You know, better than anyone outside her family, the kind of financial situation she was coming from. And you're telling me that you have no idea where she got $50,000 to pay for school?"

During Beckett's speech, Marie had become increasingly tense. "I want a lawyer. I'm done talking."

_Just what I expected_. Beckett gathered up the file and her notebook and left I1. She was disappointed, but her suspicion had been confirmed: the best friend was definitely hiding something. Alexis joined her as she returned to her desk.

Esposito looked up as they passed. "Any luck?"

Beckett shook her head. "She lawyered up, but I was right. That girl is hiding something. How about you?"

"It looks like the professor was being blackmailed. I'll see if I can find out why."

"Alright, keep on it." Beckett sat down. "Everyone has been keeping secrets lately."

Alexis' phone rang, indicating a text. "Hey, I'm gonna go. Paige and Shelby are going down to the beach."

Beckett smiled. "Have fun."

Alexis gave Beckett a hug. "See you later."

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay, thanks." She hung up. "Gun's a dead end. It was reported stolen in the Boston area 3 years ago."

The boys grumbled about the dead lead and returned to work. The next three hours revealed a lot of information about the professor. Less than 2 years earlier, the blackmailing had begun. Heidecker was forced to sell his suburban home and move into the cheaper faculty housing near NYU's campus. Unfortunately for the team, whoever was doing the blackmailing was smart enough to make sure there was no electronic trail that could lead back to them; the professor made cash withdrawals of $1500 every month. How the professor delivered the money to the blackmailer was still unknown. At least the security footage from the library had finally arrived.

Beckett was surprised for the second time that day when Castle's chair became occupied again. "Lanie? What are you doing up here?"

Lanie's look could only be described as smug. "I found the cause of death." Beckett waved to the boys and they came over. "She was poisoned, but the poison wouldn't show up on the usual tox panels. You have to test for the poison specifically."

Beckett was getting excited. "How did you find it?"

Lanie's smile got bigger. "Last night, I sent emails to Medical Examiners across the country with the details of this case asking if anyone had seen something like this before. This morning I got a reply from the Boston office. The M.E. there had a similar case about a year ago where a young boy had similar symptoms when she examined his body. She suggested that I test for Monkshood. So I ran the tests. Positive."

"Monkshood." Lanie nodded and Beckett sat back in her chair. "If someone wanted to use Monkshood, what would be the best way they could administer the poison?"

Esposito pointed to a note Beckett had put on the board earlier in the case. "Angela's missing water bottle. Chica, could someone poison somebody with Monkshood that way?"

Lanie nodded. "All you would have to do is soak Monkshood flowers in water, put the water in a bottle, and give it to the intended target. It doesn't take much of the poison to be lethal, and normally the poisoning victims would have displayed more of the symptoms. On the other hand, the more poison in the water, the faster she would have died."

Beckett nodded. "And she would display fewer symptoms."

Ryan returned to his desk. "The killer probably took the water bottle after she died to prevent us from figuring it out and catching him."

"Get on that footage. Let me know when you get an I.D."

Ryan sat down at his desk and started screening the footage. Lanie and Esposito went into the break room to talk. Beckett woke her computer back up and started researching the killer plant so she could add more info to the board. She could feel the captain's eyes on her while she worked, but she simply ignored her boss.

Beckett was concentrating was so hard, she jumped slightly when her phone rang. "Beckett."

"_Hey, it's me. I just thought you might want to come down to the campus._"

Beckett smiled. "And why would I want to do that?"

She could almost hear Castle shake his head. "_Because, there is a candlelight vigil for Angela tonight. Maybe her killer will show up to see what his actions have done._"

Beckett sighed. "Where are you?"

"_Outside the library. Just come on over, people are slowly drifting in when they can._"

Beckett caved. "Okay. I'll bring Esposito. Ryan can stay here and finish checking out the library's surveillance footage." She hung up and went into the break room to get Esposito. "Hey, Castle called. There's a candlelight vigil tonight for Angela. Let's go."

Lanie put down her half empty espresso cup. "I'll come with you. Angela was a tricky customer; I'd like to pay my respects."

The group moved toward the elevators. "You might not want to call her a customer." Lanie leveled a glare at her fiancé. "Oh, come on Chica. You're a doctor. At least call her a patient."

* * *

The vigil was growing when they arrived. Beckett and Esposito declined the offered candles, not out of disrespect, but because they might need to make an arrest or chase an armed suspect. The group made their way into the crowd and met up with Castle. They began to watch the crowd, many of whom were adding to the small memorial at the front of the library. Beckett recognized some of the people present: Marie Chapell (the best friend), Mandy Brewster (the roommate), fellow students, her former teammates, Coach Elysburg, and Teddy Marshall (the R.A.). Beckett was glad to see that Angela's mom was not present.

Beckett's phone rang and she excused herself from the group. "Ryan, what do you have?"

"_I went through the library footage and I think I might have identified the killer._"

Beckett could hardly contain her curiosity and excitement. "Who is it?"

"_The R.A._" Ryan paused to let Beckett process that. "_He shows up at the library and hands our girl a water bottle. At first she looks like she's wary of him. I can't tell what was said, but she seems to relax and trust him. Kind of blows a hole in his 'I hardly knew her' routine. Oh, and he's the one to swipe the bottle after she collapses._"

"What else do you know about him?"

Ryan cleared his throat. "_He went to BCU for a business degree, and while he was there he took elective courses in just about every subject, including a horticulture class. Monkshood is native to the Boston area, so he probably learned all about it. And, if that wasn't enough, his parents died in a car crash when he was twenty. The local papers mentioned that he would inherit a small fortune. I'm working on getting his financial records._"

Beckett hung up and looked at the R.A. This was the first time she had seen him in person and Beckett noticed that he looked younger than his DMV record said he was. He also had one of those faces that could easily be forgotten if you weren't paying attention. But it was his eyes that caught Beckett's attention. They were always shifting, scanning the crowd for trouble. Truth be told, even if Beckett didn't suspect him of killing Angela or Dr. Heidecker, she would still know that this man was guilty of something.

Beckett rejoined the group. "Ryan says the R.A. gave Angela the water bottle and then took it while she was dieing."

Esposito was surprised. "That guy is the killer?"

"Well, it makes sense." Everyone turned to Castle. "R.A.'s keep tabs on the student on their floors. He could easily have known about her financial problems. He loans her the money, makes her work off her debt."

Beckett nodded. "Makes sense. Let's wait until this is over so we can get him alone."

Beckett and Esposito started to move through the crowd toward the front. Lanie and Castle edged their way out of the middle of the crowd and over to the side so they could stay out of the way while also keeping an eye out. Angela's best friend was up front near the memorial between one of Angela's teammates and Teddy, the R.A. At the moment, the teammate was holding a microphone and talking about Angela. She finished saying her piece and handed the microphone to Marie.

"Nothing I can say about Angela would even come close to describing who she was." Marie paused to control her emotions. "She was kind, and sweet. She never complained…"

Beckett tuned out of the words as Marie raised her hand to wipe away tears. Around her wrist was a bracelet with a locker key on it. "Esposito, look. That's just like Angela's."

Esposito nodded. "That's what she was hiding."

Just then, Teddy's eyes focused in on them. In that instant, Teddy knew that they knew, and Beckett's pulse quickened as though she knew what was going to happen before it did. In one fluid motion, Teddy grabbed Marie while reaching for something in his waistband. There was a flash of light when a photographer in the crowd took a picture of what was happening and that flash of light helped Beckett to see what was in Teddy's hand.

It was a gun.

* * *

**A/N: What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out! And please leave a comment, I'd appreciate it.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 33

Beckett yelled, "Gun!" and drew her weapon. She sensed Esposito draw his on her right. People everywhere were yelling and trying to get away. Beckett stood her ground, waiting for an opening.

Marie was more stunned than scared at the moment. "You killed Angela?"

"She was going to tell everyone about this." Teddy adjusted his aim at her side, digging the gun's barrel into her ribs. "She wasn't going to keep her mouth shut."

Beckett hated these kinds of situations. "Teddy, drop the gun. Let's talk. We can work something out."

Fear was now beginning to showing on Marie's face. "Please, don't hurt me!"

"Just shut up!" Teddy was getting more worked up. "Don't think I won't kill you too!"

Marie was becoming frantic. "Please!"

"Shut up!" There was a loud bang and Marie collapsed. Students who hadn't already fled scattered, blocking Beckett's shot as the R.A. raced into the library behind him. She cursed and raced up the steps to Marie's side.

Lanie arrived at the same moment. "I've got this, go!" Castle moved to follow Beckett. "Castle, I could use your help!"

Beckett made a mental note to thank Lanie for protecting her man later. She stood up and met Esposito at the doors to the library. He had one hand on the door and was looking at her for the signal. At her nod, Esposito yanked open the door; Beckett moved in using a Weaver Stance, and Esposito followed.

With the door now closed behind them, Beckett noticed how quiet it was compared to the riot outside. Not that there wasn't any noise; the huge atrium ahead of them magnified any and all sounds, making it difficult to determine and locate the sources. The hard marble floors weren't helping matters much. The area ahead was very open and lacked any sort of cover, so Beckett moved to hug the walls, looking for anything that might help. There also seemed to be a strange lack of light. As Beckett and Esposito got closer to the atrium, she discovered why. The panel covering the electrical box for this floor was open and a quick examination revealed that the wires had been ripped out. It looked like Teddy Marshall was trying very hard to avoid being caught.

Beckett could feel her heart begin to race as adrenaline shot through her veins. A body in the middle of the atrium caught the detective's eyes. He was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks, common garb for security personnel. He wasn't moving, and a minute later, Beckett could see why. He was covered in blood which leaked from two gunshot wounds to the chest. As Beckett and Esposito reached the end of the hallway, they noticed another man dressed in the same uniform using the doorway to one of the big conference or research rooms as a shield. He was using his left hand to stem the bleeding on his right shoulder and his gun was held loosely in his right. When he saw them, he raised the gun. Beckett quickly held out her badge to show that they were friends, not enemies. The guard relaxed and nodded.

BANG!

Beckett instinctively ducked and heard the distinctive sound of a bullet ricocheting off the column a few feet in front of her. Esposito waved to get her attention and pointed to where he'd seen the muzzle flash. She looked and saw a staircase on the wall opposite them. She pointed out the injured guard off to the side and he nodded. Beckett moved up to the column and Esposito moved to cover her.

Esposito readied himself to take the shot. "Teddy! Come on, drop the gun! Don't make this any worse than it already is!"

BANG!

Esposito shook his head. Teddy was using the plexiglass barricade attached to the staircase as a shield, making it impossible to get a clear shot. Esposito moved up to the column to discuss the situation with Beckett.

"He's using that screen as a bulletproof shield. The rent-a-cop keeps him from using the other exits, but we can't get to him. What do you want to do?"

Beckett was now wishing that Ryan was here as back-up. "The staircase is only on the one wall of the atrium, right?"

Esposito took a quick peek from behind the column. "Yeah."

BANG! Another bullet ricocheted off the column.

"I'll try to get to the emergency staircase and get above him. Cover me and keep him occupied."

Esposito nodded and got himself ready. Beckett tucked her gun into her holster. If this plan was going to work, she needed to be fast. At her signal, Esposito moved out from behind the pillar to draw the shooter's attention. Beckett took off like the sprinter she was for the room the guard was hiding in. She heard a bullet ricochet off a pillar as she passed but she didn't stop until she had taken cover in the room.

She paused near the guard. "Are you okay?"

The guard nodded. "I'll try to make it." Beckett turned to go. "Detective," she turned back, "Don't miss." She nodded and entered the emergency stairway.

Her phone rang when she got up one floor. "What?" She put the phone on speaker.

Esposito was on the other end. "_He's moving up!_"

Beckett swore and climbed another floor. "Where is he now?"

"_He's just started climbing the stairs to the second floor._" Beckett heard another shot ring out. "_I'm pursuing, but there's no cover on the stairs._"

"I'm on my way."

Beckett ended the call and emerged from the stairway. This floor still had the lights on, making her blink after the darkness of the emergency stairs. Beckett pulled her gun from its holster and moved silently through the stacks toward the atrium. She heard another few shots just as she reached the large double doors to the atrium. Teddy Marshall was just turning the corner, running for the next set of stairs to the top. It was now or never.

Beckett stepped out onto the landing. "Give it up, Teddy. You're boxed in."

Teddy turned in surprise. Beckett could see the fear in his eyes even as he brought his gun around to aim at her. She squeezed the trigger once and Teddy jerked as her bullet found its mark. His shot went wide as he crumbled, the life flashing out of his eyes as he fell. Beckett kept her gun out as she approached him. Esposito arrived at his side as she did and bent down to check for a pulse. He looked up at her and shook his head when he found none before he secured the gun laying next to the R.A.'s lifeless body.

Downstairs, uniforms swarmed into the building. Beckett went around her partner and pulled out her badge as she met the uniforms moving up the stairs. A quick conversation later, Beckett and Esposito had turned the scene over to I.A. officials and handed in their guns for processing. Beckett wasn't the biggest fan of I.A., but without them, lots of dirty cops would be able to get away with crimes. As soon as the two of them had followed procedure, they were allowed to exit the library and rejoin there respective fiancées outside. Lanie was busy giving a statement to one of the uniforms when they emerged.

Castle came right over to Beckett. "Marie is on her way to the hospital and they just brought out an injured guard. What happened to you?"

Beckett could hear the concern in his voice. "What?"

Castle gently grabbed her left arm and pointed to the hole in her sleeve. "You're bleeding."

Beckett looked down at her arm and saw that her blazer's sleeve was soaked in blood. "I didn't even notice. Must have been from a ricochet."

Castle waved one of the EMT's on the scene over. "She was hit."

The EMT calmly took over. He carefully helped her remove her blazer and blouse and draped a blanket around her while he took a look at the cut. His diagnosis was that it was barely more than skin deep; a couple of stitches and she would be fine. The fact that she hadn't felt it was probably due to the adrenaline rush she had experienced inside. He led her over to an ambulance that was getting ready to take a student who had been injured in the stampede to the hospital and arranged for them to take her to the hospital as well.

Castle, of course, wanted to accompany her. "Castle, you need to stay here, give your statement, and help out wherever you're needed. I'll be fine. It's just a flesh wound."

Castle wasn't pleased, but he nodded and handed her the blazer and blouse. "Fine. I'll drop by with a change of clothes for you."

Beckett nodded as the ambulance doors closed and the engine started. Castle reluctantly went back to the library's doors as Beckett was whisked away.

* * *

Beckett arrived at the precinct early the next morning. Marie had gotten through surgery fine; the wound had been a through-and-through and hadn't hit anything major. She would be in recovery for the next couple weeks before she would be released. As for Beckett and Esposito, I.A. had cleared them and returned their weapons to them within hours of the shooting, so it was back to business as usual.

Ryan set a file down on Beckett's desk on his way to his own. She picked it up and took a look. The file was about Teddy Marshall, Angela's R.A. According to Ryan's research last night, Teddy had been the one to receive Professor Heidecker's payouts, though he had been smart when he deposited the money. He had hidden it by splitting the payments up and depositing them in multiple accounts over the course of the month, making it very hard to trace and avoiding any red flags most people would run into.

There was also a CSU report in the file. A search of his apartment had revealed a small, leather-bound book in which Teddy had kept track of his girls and their johns. Ryan had taken the list of girls and tried to track down where each one was now. He had worked late into the night to track down all 112 girls. Twelve of the girls were in Teddy's current workforce and were still at NYU. Six of the girls had committed suicide soon after graduating and 3 more had killed themselves years after their commencements. Nineteen had become pros and had rap sheets to match while a handful seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth. Fortunately, most had managed to move on and now lived normal lives.

Beckett groaned. She'd spent a little time in Vice, so she had seen firsthand how destructive prostitution could be to those involved. Reading the file on what had happened to other girls who'd shared Angela's financial situation just made Teddy's actions seem that much more cruel.

Castle set down Beckett's coffee before taking his seat. "Is that the R.A.'s file?"

"Yeah." Beckett closed the folder. "He would have been on his way to Rikers right now if he hadn't started that shootout. No lawyer in the city would have been able to get him off."

"Good."

Beckett took a sip of her coffee. "So, what was it like to help Lanie work on a live victim?"

Castle smiled. "It was nice. I was worried about you, obviously. But knowing that I might have helped to save her life…it felt good."

"What did Lanie have you do?"

"I had to keep pressure on the entry wound." Castle finished his coffee. "By the way, when did you get in last night? I don't remember you coming in."

"I didn't." Castle looked confused. "I went to my old place. It was closer to the hospital and I was exhausted, so I just crashed there after I got to talk to Marie. She told us everything."

"Guess it was a good thing we kept that place."

Beckett smiled and noticed the captain was beckoning for her to join her in the captain's office.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, sit down." Beckett took the offered chair. "I heard you got shot last night. How's your arm?"

"It's fine. The bullet barely grazed me."

"Good. Now," the captain sat up in her chair, "first off, I want to remind you that although I.A. has cleared you, you are still required to attend the mandatory psych evaluation."

Beckett nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Second, I have a question. Mr. Castle approached me earlier in the week and was asking how many vacation days you had accumulated. Do you know what that is all about?"

Beckett blushed. "He's trying to plan our honeymoon. I think."

Gates looked surprised. "Oh. Has a date been set then?"

Beckett shook her head. "Not yet, but knowing Castle, he would like to plan something in advance."

Gates nodded. "Well, at the time I didn't know, but I've looked it up and you have almost three months at your disposal. I hope your honeymoon won't last that long."

Beckett sensed the end of the conversation. "Yes, sir."

Castle looked up as Beckett returned to her desk. "What was that about?"

"Reminder to do the psych evaluation, and I have almost three months of vacation days."

Castle sat back. "So an extended honeymoon is possible."

Beckett froze. "By extended, you mean…"

Castle smiled. "Don't worry. No more than a month. I know you wouldn't want to stay away from work for more than that."

Beckett relaxed. "I was worried you'd want to take all three months."

Castle's grin widened. "If I had my way…But you wouldn't let me, so I won't. Besides, we can use those vacation days some other time."

Beckett nodded and got started on the paperwork. Eventually, Castle left to spend a little more time with Alexis. Beckett wanted to follow him, but the paperwork had to be done, especially now that I.A. was involved.

Esposito had noticed Beckett's distraction. "I can do that paperwork if you want."

"No, I've got it." Beckett looked up as she realized something. "What do you think is going to happen to the girls that were working for Marshall?"

Esposito sat down in Castle's chair and shrugged. "They can't afford to pay the tuition, so they'll probably drop out."

Beckett nodded as she felt a little hope. "At which point the scandal will come out on the news. That would be bad press."

Esposito was catching on. "And NYU really can't afford more bad press when it center's around that library. What do you plan to do?"

Beckett stood up and grabbed her blazer. "There is always leftover scholarship money. And most of those girls were close to graduating anyway. If NYU wants to avoid bad press, they'll listen to me."

Esposito stood and returned to his desk. "I'll work on the paperwork, you work on the administrators."

* * *

Beckett exited the meeting with the school's board feeling a lot better about the case than she had earlier. The board had agreed with her that allowing the girls to stay and providing them with full scholarships would go a long way toward lessening the sting of the media. In return, Beckett had agreed to be very discreet with the details of the case, doing her part to soften the blow. The board had also decided, without any prompting from the detective, to set up a scholarship fund in Angela's name for students who came from impoverished backgrounds. Beckett smiled as she got back in her car. Marie and the other ten girls were going back to school. She started the car and drove back to the precinct.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who are curious, the library I was using was the Bobst Library. At the time I started writing this particular case, I wasn't aware of the history of the building. It unfortunately has been the site of three student suicides which prompted the installation of the plexiglass barricade along the stairs and landings. That was what I was referencing when I mentioned bad publicity. On a different note, do you guys like reading side cases or would you prefer I stuck with Shadow Fox in the future? Please let me know, I'd appreciate the feedback.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 34

It was just after six when Ryan came up to Beckett's desk. "We're watching Alex tonight, right?"

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Ryan shrugged. "Jenny was hoping I wouldn't be staying out with work for too many nights now that her due date is coming up."

"Then go home."

"Really?" Relief colored Ryan's voice.

Beckett smiled. "You're family comes first. Don't worry. The three of us can handle it."

* * *

Alex was late. Beckett had called the plainclothes assigned to watch her on her way from her job to the subway and knew that the delay had been caused by her current "boss" asking her to stay late and correct a few forms. At least she was okay and en route. Beckett finished her coffee and looked down the street again. Except for a street lamp that had flickered out almost an hour ago, the street was virtually unchanged since their arrival.

Tonight, Esposito was parked near the subway exit and Beckett was covering Alex's apartment building. The upside: more of Alex's route was covered; the downside: once Alex turned the corner, Esposito couldn't see her anymore. Beckett glanced to the passenger seat. Castle was busy writing in a notebook he'd brought along. From the way he was scratching things out, his ideas weren't winners.

The radio crackled to life. "_Alex is exiting the subway. Stand by._"

Beckett grabbed the radio to respond. "Copy that."

Castle closed his notebook and tucked his pen into his shirt pocket. "I hate when I have writer's block. I know what I want to do, but I can't seem to do it."

"You'll get there." Kate shifted in her seat. "What's on your mind?"

Castle shook his head. "I'll wait till we get home. Alex is more important at the moment."

Beckett turned back to the street. "Okay."

The radio crackled again. "_She's almost at the corner. She's around._"

Beckett grabbed the radio again. "I see her."

Alex was again clutching her purse and looking around nervously. Beckett made sure to scan the street again. From what she could see, nothing was out of place. Alex apparently didn't think the street was safe because today, she came to a stop. Beckett couldn't see anything and after a moment, Alex shook her head as though to clear it and started walking again. She was just reaching the area that should have been lit by that street lamp when she screamed.

"_What was that?_"

"She's being attacked!" Beckett bolted from the car before Esposito could respond.

Beckett could barely make out the form of Alex's assailant. Whoever it was, they were wearing a dark hoodie that obscured his face. Alex had dropped her purse and stood facing him, her arms in front of her in a defensive position. The hoodie made as though to attack her head on, but when Alex went to block him, he grabbed her arm and spun her so Alex's back was now to him.

"No." Beckett increased her speed and drew her weapon. "NYPD! Put your hands where I can see them!"

The Hoodie bolted into the alley as Alex collapsed. Beckett was about to follow when Esposito hurtled over Alex's body and into the alleyway. Beckett barely registered that she didn't remember seeing him before she dropped to her knees by Alex's side. Blood was all over the sidewalk and the pool was growing, but when Beckett located the source, she found that it wasn't Alex's lower back. There was a deep gash on her right arm and it was bleeding badly.

Castle ran up to them with a first aid kit. "I grabbed this out of the car. Anything I can do to help?"

"Open it and grab the tourniquet." Beckett had shrugged out of her blazer and was using it to apply pressure while holding Alex's arm up. "Then call 911."

Esposito returned. "I lost him. How bad is it?"

Beckett was tying the tourniquet. "Bad."

Castle backed away from the group to make the call. "Yeah, hi. I'm at…"

Beckett grabbed her blazer off the ground and resumed applying pressure. Esposito picked up Beckett's gun from where she had dropped it and slid it into her holster before asking what had happened.

Beckett shook her head. "I don't know. Between the light going out and all these cars, it was hard to see what happened. I don't even remember seeing you come around that corner."

Castle came back over. "Am I supposed to use her current alias or her real name?"

"Does it matter?" Beckett turned back to Esposito as Castle backed away again. "He managed to get her turned around. I thought he'd stabbed her. She must have gotten her arm in the way."

"And he didn't try again?"

"By then we were too close for comfort." Beckett could hear the sirens approaching. "Thank heavens."

Castle came back over. "I called Ryan and Captain Gates. They're both on their way, and some uniforms are coming to help with the investigation as well."

The ambulances arrived and the EMT's quickly moved Alex onto a stretcher. Beckett looked down at herself as they were loading her into the bus and saw that she was covered in blood. Her blazer was on the ground where she had dropped it when the EMT's took over. There was no point in trying to salvage it; it was saturated with Alex's blood and completely ruined. Uniforms were beginning to arrive and Esposito went over to tell them what had happened.

Captain Gates arrived minutes after Alex had been whisked away. "What happened?"

Beckett shook her head. "I don't know, sir. It happened too quickly." She explained what she did know.

Gates turned as Esposito approached. "You chased the suspect?"

"Yes, sir."

"And lost him?" Gates' displeasure was obvious.

"Yes, sir. He turned a corner and when I followed, he'd vanished."

Gates shook her head. "This contract killer was within a block of your stakeout positions, and not only was Ms. Stevens badly injured, he managed to get away! Detective Ryan, why weren't you here?"

Ryan was just arriving. "Sir, my wife is due in a couple of days. I was at home in case she needed me."

Gates was not happy with that answer. "You felt it was more important to relax at home? That your job was not as important?"

"That's my fault sir." Gates turned to Beckett. "I told him to go home and help Jenny."

"I don't care if your wife was due tonight. Unless she was in labor, your job is to do your job. Stakeouts included."

Before Ryan could respond, a uniformed officer approached the group. "Captain Gates?"

Gates turned. "Yes."

"Sergeant Edward Brody. My men have finished with a preliminary sweep of the alleyway. I believe we've found the suspect's escape route."

The group followed the sergeant into the alley. Just beyond the turn Esposito had mentioned, a uniform was holding up a wooden pallet that had been covering an open manhole.

The sergeant turned to explain. "We think this pallet was being supported by this," he held up a pipe with a gloved hand. "The suspect turned the corner, and then slid under this pallet, knocking out the support as they did so, and disappeared down the manhole. I'll have some of my men go down there with city workers to try and figure out where he may have resurfaced."

Gates nodded. "Thank you, Sergeant Brody."

Esposito was shaking his head. "I heard the bang and saw the pipe rolling away from there. I just thought that it was something that he had knocked over."

"Well, the name is apt." The group turned to Castle. "The Shadow Fox: able to blend into the shadows and outfox everyone, pursuers and victims alike. I mean, look at tonight. This attack was planned. He couldn't get into her home to attack her, not with the Fort Knox remodel. So, he attacks her nearby, somewhere she's out in the open, vulnerable. And, just in case the cops are nearby, he had an escape route all planned out and prepped to look like he had simply vanished. I wouldn't be surprised if the streetlamp burning out was part of the plan so we couldn't see what was happening."

"Have CSU process the scene, streetlamp included." Gates left the alley and Beckett's team seemed to relax slightly.

Esposito turned to Beckett. "If you want to go and get cleaned up, Ryan and I can take over from here. Be a little way for him to make up for ditching us. Right Bro?"

Ryan seemed to come out of a revere. "I should have been here. We might have had him."

Beckett shook her head. "Hey, this isn't your fault. Ignore Gates. She's just itching to blame someone and you seemed like a good candidate. He would have gotten away even if you had been here. Don't blame yourself."

"But…"

"No buts." Beckett looked at her bloodstained hands again. "If you want to be helpful, find us something that will get us closer to finding this son-of-a-bitch."

Ryan nodded and moved to help the uni's comb the alley between Alex's attack site and the escape route. Esposito moved to start canvassing the neighbors. Castle led Beckett back to their car and took her home.

When Kate and Rick returned home, Alexis was in the living room with Paige. "Kate! What happened?" Alexis was already reaching for her phone.

"It's not my blood." Alexis stopped reaching for the phone. "I'm just going to go clean up."

Kate went into the bedroom and shut the door. Through the door, she could hear Alexis launch an inquisition on her father, who swiftly joined Kate in the bedroom after promising to explain later.

Kate laughed as she stripped. "Afraid of your own daughter, are you?"

"You've never been on the receiving end of one of her inquisitions."

"That's not true." Kate retrieved a large evidence bag from the stash she kept in the closet. "You've never been around when she leveled one at me."

Rick didn't believe her. "Name one time."

"That time you were held hostage in the bank…" Rick face showed that he remembered. "The way she talked to me, I could tell she was going to hold me responsible if you didn't come out of that alive."

Rick nodded. "It's a good thing I lived then."

Kate smiled. "Yes it is. You should tell her what happened tonight. She'll want to know."

"I just didn't want to explain anything without police protection or backup."

"Uh-huh." Kate shoved the last of her clothes into the evidence bag. "And we're back to you being afraid of your daughter."

Rick gestured to the bag in an attempt to change the topic. "In case they want those for evidence?"

Kate nodded. "I was expecting them to ask at the scene, but no one did."

She sealed the bag and stepped into the bathroom to start the shower. Rick would have followed her in if Paige hadn't picked that moment to say goodbye and leave, abandoning him to the glaring eyes and unrelenting questions of his daughter. With a resigned sigh, he went back out into the living room, sat down with Alexis, and explained what had happened.

* * *

Alex opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital room, her arm heavily wrapped in bandages. Kate Beckett was sleeping in a chair by her bed. Alex shook her head slightly to try and clear it. The pain meds were making her sleepy and she was struggling to stay awake. Looking around the room, she found her boyfriend, Ewan, sleeping in a chair on her other side. She looked toward the door and saw what looked like the silhouettes of two cops standing outside her room. She moved her arm and touched the bandage. Pain raced up her arm and made her wince. A nurse walked in at that moment, moving quietly to avoid waking up her roommates. She had seen the wince and moved over to the machine that regulated her pain medication. Before Alex could resist, the nurse bumped up her dose and Alex quickly succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Beckett jolted awake at the sound of her phone ringing. "Beckett."

Esposito was on the other end. "_Hey, Sergeant Brody and his team have identified where the Shadow Fox resurfaced._"

Beckett exited Alex's room as Ewan Brebnor reentered. "Where?"

"_In an alley about a block away from the University Heights Bridge. There's not much around here. He might have had an accomplice waiting for him._"

Beckett sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, try and dig up some surveillance tapes or witnesses. We need to find something."

Esposito hesitated. "_How is she doing?_"

"She's stable." Beckett cleared her throat. "I'm not sure if she woke up during the night, but she's sleeping now."

"_Let her know we're doing our best._"

Esposito hung up and Beckett went back into Alex's room. Alex was awake and looking at all the machines. Beckett smiled and sat down.

"Where's Ewan?"

"He had to go to work." Alex half smiled. "You may be arresting him later. He was really upset that his boss wouldn't give him the day off."

Beckett nodded. "Listen Alex, I know you just woke up, but…"

"You need to know what I remember." Beckett nodded again. "He was more careful this time. He was wearing a ski mask to make sure that if he failed again, I couldn't see his face. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. It wasn't your fault. It's mine. We weren't covering you well enough. I'm sorry." Alex made a noise of protest. "Don't, I had to get that out. Now, is there anything you remember seeing or hearing that might help us?"

Alex shook her head. "It was too dark."

Beckett had been afraid of that. "How'd you know to put your arm behind your back?"

"The pictures." Beckett was confused, so Alex elaborated. "The pictures you hang on your murder boards. Of the victims? I remembered that all of them had stab wounds on their lower backs. When he got me turned around, I knew I had to do something or I was dead."

"Moment of desperation." Alex nodded. "That little move saved your life."

"But he still got away."

Beckett nodded. "He escaped down a service tunnel. Everything was planned and prepared ahead of time."

"The streetlamp too?"

Beckett nodded again. "He put a corrosive gel on some wires. It ate away the wires and after some time the light went out."

"You're still looking for him, right?" Alex's fear was easily apparent.

Beckett moved from her chair to sit on the edge of Alex's bed. "Of course. And we will find him. I promise." Beckett's phone rang. "I'm sorry, I've got to take this. Beckett. I'm on my way." She hung up and put her phone away. "I've got to go. We may have found something. Um, we've posted a couple of uniforms outside your door. Only a few people are allowed into this room. They'll keep you safe."

Alex nodded. "Just catch him."

* * *

Beckett arrived at the precinct a few minutes later. "What'd you find?"

"A loop." Castle pulled out a chair in the Conference Room. "It took us a few watches, but the camera with the clearest view of the alley has been looped. The Shadow Fox really took his time to prepare everything."

Esposito pressed play. On the screen, a side-by-side video played. On the left was the night before Alex was attacked. On the right was the night of the attack. The videos on both sides were identical.

Beckett turned to Esposito. "Please tell me you found something."

Esposito shook his head. "Nada. Surveillance equipment was wiped clean. Not even the normal operator's prints on the box. And Ryan canvassed the area. No one saw a thing."

Beckett shook her head. "So we have no leads?"

"None."

* * *

**A/N: Just had to semi-close that story line with Alex. Did you like it? Were you surprised? Were you expecting that? Please drop me a line in the review box. I've been feeling a little lonely lately. Thanks!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank Miss Decka Decka, pokung16, and sxcthing123 for their reviews. Pokung16, your comment really made me smile! Love that you are loving the story. ****I've decided to do another time jump. The last case was set in the summer; this one starts in mid October. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 35

It was almost 10 in the morning, but the weather was getting colder. Beckett was glad she'd grabbed one of her warmer coats before she'd left the loft that morning. She wished that Castle had come with her usual coffee and bear claw, but he was already a month behind on his deadline and couldn't afford to "waste" any more time. Ryan and Esposito pulled up behind her as she stepped out of her car. Ryan, as was normal these days, looked tired, and there was a little spit-up on his tie. Little Cathleen Alexandra Ryan had had another restless night.

Esposito was playing with his wedding ring as they approached the yellow tape. "Two months with this thing and I'm still not used to it."

Beckett saw Lanie standing at the police tape, struggling to put on her gloves. "You're not the only one."

Lanie gave up and shoved her ring into her kit as they approached. "Okay girl. Now I understand why you are insisting on a simple band for work when you get married."

Beckett pulled on a pair of gloves. "You could put it on a chain for work if that would be easier."

Lanie gave Beckett a look that said she hadn't thought of that and the group ducked under the tape. The victim was female, around 40 years old, and looked like she might be of Middle Eastern or Indian decent. She was wearing designer clothing and was lying face up in a pool of blood. Uniforms were keeping the crowd back as CSU did their best to process the scene.

Lanie knelt next to the victim's blood pool. "Who do we have here?"

"Dr. Anita Mahra, 41." Beckett turned to see who the voice was coming from. "I'm Special Agent O'Connor. Robert O'Connor. I'm with the FBI."

Beckett shook his offered hand. "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. Why is the Bureau involved?"

"Dr. Mahra came to us a few days ago with information regarding her company. I've been sent down to help with the case. In a strictly advisory capacity of course."

"Mm-hm." Beckett turned back to Lanie. "What do you have?"

Lanie didn't look up from her notes. "No wallet or purse, so we're going to have to trust the suit on the I.D. for now."

O'Connor wasn't please by that comment. "Excuse me?"

Beckett spoke over him. "Anything else?"

"I'm not sure." Lanie touched the torn jacket. "It looks like she was stabbed. I'll have to get her back to the morgue to know for sure."

Agent O'Connor was looking at his phone. "Anyone seen her car?"

"No, why?" Beckett hated when the Fed's took over and started barking out orders.

O'Connor put his phone away. "Well, there have been a few robberies in the area, and car jacking seems to be high on the list. The targeted vehicles have all been on the higher end and the assailant was reported to have used a knife. According to the DMV, Dr. Mahra drove a two year old dark blue Jaguar XK Coupe. I think she tried to fight back and lost. You're suspect is most likely a carjacker." O'Connor turned to leave.

Ryan looked up in surprise. "Whoa, wait. Where are you going?"

O'Connor turned back. "I've seen enough. This women's death, while tragic, has nothing to do with the information she brought us."

Esposito returned from talking to the first responders. "And what information is that?"

O'Connor sighed and pulled out his phone again. "Well, actually, it doesn't really matter. A file was never opened. I guess the Bureau didn't find the information very credible."

Esposito scoffed. "So you really didn't need to come out here."

O'Connor shrugged. "Bureaucracy." He turned around and walked off.

Lanie looked up from her clipboard. "What in the hell was that about?"

"No idea." Beckett waited until O'Connor had driven away before turning back to her team. "Ryan, look into the carjackings in the area; see if there is anything credible to the suit's story. Esposito, could you work with the uniforms to canvass the neighborhood? I want to know more about our victim."

Esposito used his phone to take a picture of just the victim's face. "I'll see if anyone recognizes her. Confirm the I.D."

"Good." Beckett caught a look in Lanie's eyes and knelt down. "What is it?"

Lanie shook her head. "Nothing."

"Tell that to your face."

The M.E. sighed. "The Shadow Fox has been in San Francisco, right?"

Beckett nodded. "That's what the reports say. Alex was going to be relocated there and then the Shadow Fox showed up in the area, so she stayed here. Why?"

Lanie pointed. "Because these injuries are very similar to his other victims. I'll have to get her back to the morgue to confirm, but I think the Shadow Fox is back."

* * *

That afternoon, Beckett made her way down to the morgue for Lanie's report. "Please tell me your scene assessment was wrong."

"Sorry honey, wound molds confirm it." Lanie held up one of the casts. "Wingwalk survival style knife. Combine that with the bruising and strike pattern, and I can safely say that our victim was murdered by the assassin known as the Shadow Fox."

Beckett groaned. "I was hoping he wasn't our problem anymore."

Lanie nodded in sympathy. "Have you told Alex yet?"

"No, I was hoping you were wrong." Beckett shook her head. "Well, now we know the Fed was wrong. The Shadow Fox kills for the money. Someone hired him to kill her, and it was probably because of the information she took to the FBI. Time of death?"

"Two hours before it was called in, so I'd say around 5:45 this morning." Lanie picked up the chart and looked up at Beckett. "Do we have an I.D. for her yet?"

Beckett nodded. "Dr. Anita Mahra. The suit was right."

"At least she isn't a Jane Doe anymore." Lanie wrote the name down on the chart. "You know, I actually had something I wanted to ask you. A few months ago, I heard a rumor through the grapevine that Castle was asking about your vacation days. I've waited patiently, but I haven't heard anything else, so this is it. I have to draw the line. When are the two of you getting hitched?"

Beckett blushed. "Lanie!"

"Come on girl, out with it!" Lanie's look said that she meant business.

"We haven't really talked about it." Beckett could tell Lanie didn't believe her. "I'm serious. I promised I wouldn't keep it a secret like I did with the engagement."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Pinkie swear?"

"What are we, five?" Lanie laughed and Beckett chuckled too. "If it will make you happy, I pinkie swear."

"I believe you." Lanie handed Beckett her report. "If I find anything else, I'll let you know."

"Thanks Lanie." Beckett left the morgue and pushed the button for the elevator before shaking her head and chuckling. Sometimes Lanie was too quick to assume. Not that Beckett would change that about her friend. It was her frank, in-your-face style that had made Beckett like her. She was incredibly perceptive, but she wouldn't coddle you like a child. The elevator arrived and Beckett stepped on to return to her desk.

* * *

The team arrived at Vertanin Pharmaceuticals just before three in the afternoon. The clerk at the front desk called up to the CEO and then directed them to his office. Mr. Blackwell was a large man, obviously accustomed to all the things wealth and power could attain. His suit screamed custom-made by a high-end designer and was probably hand tailored. When they were shown into his spacious office, he stood up and walked to them with the confidence of a man who was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it, and would expect them to comply.

_This will be an interesting meeting_. "Mr. Blackwell, I'm Detective Kate Beckett. These are my colleagues, Detective Javier Esposito and Detective Kevin Ryan. We're here to ask you some questions about Dr. Anita Mahra."

Blackwell shook their hands as if they were all his best friends. "Of course, anything I can do to help the NYPD." He offered them chairs across from his desk. "Can my assistant get you anything? Coffee, soda?"

The detectives shook their heads. "No, thank you."

Blackwell smiled. "So, what can I do to help?"

Beckett started off. "Were you aware that Dr. Mahra was murdered this morning?"

The CEO sat back as though in shock, but Beckett could tell he didn't feel it. "Oh no. That's awful. She was one of my best researchers. How did this happen?"

Beckett decided to play it safe for now in case Blackwell was involved. "We believe she may have been the victim of a carjacking that went sideways."

"That's awful." The CEO was still grieving unconvincingly. "She was such a good person. Why would anyone want to hurt her?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Beckett opened her notebook. "You mentioned she was one of your best researchers. What sort of things did she work on?"

Blackwell instantly snapped out of false grief mode and into business mode. "She would research new drugs we are developing. I think the latest project she was involved with was either Asperger's or Autism, I can't remember. Anyway, the team had just finished their research and were working on submitting the papers to the FDA for approval."

Beckett nodded, glancing around the office for anything that might hint of his involvement. "We're going to want to see a copy of that report."

Blackwell shook his head. "I'm afraid that I can't do that."

Esposito spoke up. "Why not?"

The CEO smiled. "It's not that I want to appear uncooperative; I do want to help. It's just that we are in an extremely competitive business. If I give you the report, I'll be handing you sensitive information. Our competition might get their hands on it and develop the drug too. No, I'm sorry. If you want to see the report, I'm afraid you'll have to get a court order. I'm sure you'll understand."

_So the report is important._ "Of course. At the very least we'll need to talk to the researchers she worked with."

"Of course." Blackwell straightened his tie. "I'll set up the interviews over the next few days…"

Beckett smiled. "Mr. Blackwell, it would be better if we could talk to them now. We need to gather as much information about Dr. Mahra as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll understand."

Blackwell smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Certainly. I'll have them join you in the Conference Room. Sabina," his assistant reentered the room, "Could you show the detectives to Conference Room A?"

The assistant nodded and Beckett's team followed Sabina out of the office. As they left, Beckett noticed a picture of a younger Blackwell in Army Dress Greens. _He was much thinner and more handsome when he was younger_. Beckett noticed all the commendation bars and patches and made a mental note to check into Blackwell's service record. Sabina took them down a floor and showed them into the Conference Room. Several minutes later, they were joined by three men in lab coats. They introduced themselves as Doctors Rodger Fendway, Nykwana Sulu, and David Cronin. Beckett, Ryan and Esposito each took one of the doctors.

Beckett was interviewing Dr. Sulu, a tall black man from England. "Dr. Sulu, you worked with Dr. Mahra, is that correct?"

"Yes, we are part of a five person team."

"Five? Where's the fifth?"

"Dr. Taylor. Victoria Taylor. She was killed in a hunting accident about a month ago."

Beckett could feel a red flag. "A hunting accident?"

Sulu nodded. "Every year, Victoria's family would gather at the family's cabin in Maine for a reunion. One of the things they do while they are there is to go on a hunting trip. Apparently another group was in the woods that day. Somehow, she was shot and died. The police never did identify who it was that took the shot."

Beckett wrote a note to check into that. "What was your team researching?"

Sulu hesitated. "I'm not sure if we are allowed to discuss it."

"You don't have to give me specifics. A general idea will work."

Sulu nodded. "We were researching the side effects of an Alzheimer's drug we're developing. That part of the process was completed before Victoria's death. Now we're finishing the research papers that go with it."

Beckett nodded. "What all goes into that?"

Sulu smiled. "It's a complicated process that goes into some delicate information."

Beckett wrote another note. "Fair enough. What do you know about Dr. Mahra's personal life?"

"Anita was quiet. She really didn't talk about her personal life. From what little she told me, she was born and raised in India, but she went to medical school at Harvard and became a U.S. citizen while she was there. I don't think she was in a relationship. She just didn't have the time. She was always the first one here in the morning and the last one to leave at night. I guess you can say she was married to her work."

Beckett finished writing. "What about her family?"

Sulu shook his head. "As far as I know, they are all back in India."

"Where were you between 5 and 6 this morning?"

"I was getting ready for work. My wife can vouch for me; and my neighbor across the hall from me as well. We walk to the Underground together every morning."

Beckett nodded and made a mental note to verify his alibi. "Did she seem nervous lately? Maybe a little paranoid?"

Sulu nodded. "Now that you mention it, a little. I asked her about it, but all she said was, 'something isn't right here.' I don't know what she meant because when I asked her about it, she refused to elaborate."

It was time to throw him off guard. "Is that why she went to the FBI?"

Sulu looked surprised. "I have no idea. She never said anything." Beckett noticed that he looked uncomfortable.

She handed the doctor her card. "If you can think of anything that might help us, please give me a call."

Sulu nodded before standing to shake her hand. "I hope you find the one responsible."

Beckett waited until the others were done before going over to her detectives. "What'd you guys get?"

"Whole lot of nothin'." Ryan flipped back a page in his notebook. "She was quiet, kept to herself, no relationship, great researcher, no idea why a Fed would be interested in her crime scene. It's like Dr. Fendway made no attempt to get to know his co-worker."

Esposito nodded. "Same here. Do you think they're lying?"

"At least one of them is. There's no way all three of them knew nothing about her."

* * *

**A/N: Just a heads up, I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter that Esposito and Lanie were playing with their wedding rings, but in the upcoming chapters, I sometimes call Lanie "Dr. Parish." I know Parish is now her maiden name, but I thought it might get confusing to have Esposito and Dr. Esposito. Just to let you know. ****Let me know what you think. I love the feedback when I get it. Thanks!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank Miss Decka Decka, southerngirl1, and sxcthing123 for their reviews. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 36

They returned to the precinct in time to update the board and then called it a day. Beckett would have worked late into the night if it wasn't for the errand she needed to run. She got into her car and headed in the direction of Alex's apartment. Half an hour later, Beckett knocked on Alex's door and waited for her to hesitantly open it.

"Hey Alex. May I come in?"

Alex pulled the door open wider. "Sure."

Beckett stepped inside. "Alex, we need to talk."

Alex closed the door. "The Shadow Fox is back, isn't he?"

Beckett nodded. "How did you know?"

"Your expression." Alex sat down on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. "Your demeanor, your posture."

Beckett joined her on the couch. "You've become a good detective."

"Years of experience." Alex looked out the window. "What's the weather been like?"

"A contract killer, who has tried to kill you twice I might add, is back in town and you want to talk about the weather?" Beckett was confused as to where this conversation was heading.

Alex turned back to Beckett with a wry smile. "I haven't been outside my apartment since the last attack. At least, not unless I needed to go somewhere. And Ewan always makes sure he's with me when I do." She paused, searching for the right words. "I'm a prisoner in my own home because I'm afraid. I see him around every corner, behind every bush. Ewan has to get my groceries for me because I can't get past the front door, let alone down the block."

Beckett was surprised. "You've always seemed so strong to me."

Alex nodded. "That was before."

Beckett paused before asking. "How's your arm doing?"

Alex pulled up the sleeve on her right arm. "It's getting better. At least the stitches are finally out."

Beckett looked at the scar. Because it was still somewhat fresh, it was an angry red line intersecting the almost white scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow. Smaller pink scars covered the rest of her arm; trophies from the first time the Shadow Fox attacked her.

Beckett felt bad for Alex. "I'm sorry." Alex pulled her sleeve back down. "Alex, I should have been closer. I'm sorry."

Alex gave a small smile. "It's okay. Really. You were close enough to keep me alive. The scars I can live with."

"Then why are you a prisoner?"

Alex looked out the window again. "Because I don't want to die."

Beckett leaned back and searched for something to say. "This may not help at all, but I remember this line from a movie. 'Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something is more important than fear.' I know you are not weak. You have the strength to do anything. You just need to find the courage to not let him rule your life."

Alex smiled. "The Princess Diaries. You're right, and I'll try."

Beckett smiled. "You can do it. I've got to go. Are you going to be okay?"

Alex nodded. "I'll try. Be careful."

"Always"

* * *

Kate arrived home just as dinner was served. "That smells delicious."

Rick smiled. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells. It was your recipe."

Kate grimaced as she hung up her coat. "I was supposed to teach you how to make it. I'm sorry, I forgot."

Rick pulled out her chair. "Don't worry about it. Lanie called and told me you might swing by Alex's tonight after work. What happened?"

Kate waited until her fiancé was seated. "The Shadow Fox is back."

Rick paused before pouring the wine. "How do you know it's him?"

"Strike pattern, bruising, and Lanie's wound mold. It was his work."

He passed Kate her wine glass and started to pour his own. "Who was the victim?"

"A research doctor working for Vertanin Pharmaceuticals," Kate paused to take a drink, "and she wasn't the first member of the team who was killed. A Dr. Taylor was killed in a supposed hunting accident. I've asked Lanie to get ahold of that autopsy report. I want to know if it really was an accident."

"You think it might have been a cover-up?"

Kate nodded. "The Shadow Fox has used things to try and cover up murders before. Our first victim was robbed to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. The latest was intended to look like a carjacking gone wrong. It wouldn't surprise me if Dr. Taylor's death was supposed to look like an accident."

Rick nodded. "Sounds like you don't need me there."

Kate smiled. "To solve cases? No. But I do like you being around. How's your manuscript coming?"

Rick shrugged. "I'm finished, but I'm not happy with it."

Kate swallowed. "Run it by me."

"Well, I've created a character based on Alex. The only thing wrong with that is I'm not sure if she'd be okay with it." He paused to take a bite. "It's a small character, so I could easily cut it out if I needed to. What I'm really not happy with is the resolution."

"Why not?"

"You know when you're watching a TV show and it gets cancelled in the middle of the season, so the writers have to Houdini an ending?" Kate nodded. "That's what I'm feeling with the ending I wrote."

Kate smiled. "You'll figure it out."

Rick shook his head. "That's just it, I'm not sure if I can. It feels incomplete and nothing I've tried has changed it."

Kate reached across the table and held his hand. "You are the one who usually finds a way to get us out of tough situations when I can't. You can do the same with your book." Rick finally cracked a smile. "I mean, come on. You're not a ruggedly handsome, bestselling author for nothing."

"Thanks." Rick went back to his food. "How'd I do?"

"It's delicious."

* * *

Beckett arrived at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, which houses the FBI's New York Field Office, early the next morning. After going through the security checkpoint, she spoke with a guard in the lobby who directed her to the 23rd floor. She thanked him and boarded the next elevator.

The elevator made several stops along the way, but she finally arrived at the right floor. "Hi, I'm Detective Beckett. I'm looking into the death of Dr. Anita Mahra. I understand she came here with some information. I'd like to speak to the agent who took her statement."

The secretary at the front desk smiled politely. "Let me see if I can find out who talked to her." She typed for a couple seconds. "Looks like the case agent was Special Agent Robert O'Connor. Unfortunately, he's not in yet today. He should be in soon; would you like to wait for him?"

"Yes, please."

Agent O'Connor arrived a few minutes later and showed Beckett into his office. "Detective, I must admit I'm a little surprised to see you. I got the distinct impression that you were not pleased with my presence yesterday."

"I would imagine you know the saying about how well cops and Feds get along." O'Connor smiled and Beckett took a seat. "I'm here about the information Dr. Mahra brought to you. I'll admit I was a little surprised to find out you were the one who interviewed her."

O'Connor hung his coat on the back of his chair. "I just conducted the interview. My supervisor then determines whether or not the Bureau will act on it."

"Do you remember what you talked about?"

O'Connor shook his head. "You have to realize, we get hundreds of tips every day. Most of them don't mean a thing. I handle a lot of those interviews, so it can become hard to remember who said what sometimes."

Beckett nodded. "Can you tell me how to get to your supervisor's office?"

"I could, but it wouldn't do you any good." Beckett was about to protest, so O'Connor elaborated. "He's in DC; left last night and probably won't be back till late Thursday evening. The earliest you'll be able to see him is Friday."

_3 days_. "Your interview with her would be on file, am I correct?"

O'Connor straightened his tie. "Uh, no, it wouldn't. See, if no file was opened, then the interview wouldn't be kept. Anything else you need to know? Because I really have to get to work."

"No, that's it." Beckett stood and added, "For now," before she turned and left.

* * *

Esposito looked up as she walked in. "Any luck?"

Beckett hung her coat on her chair. "I found out that O'Connor was the Fed who interviewed her in the first place."

Ryan scoffed. "Funny, he failed to mention that."

Esposito nodded. "Did you find out anything at least?"

Beckett shook her head as she checked her "while you were out messages." "Nope. He was about as vague and unhelpful in his office as he was on the scene." Beckett updated the board. "Where are you guys on the carjacking angle?"

Ryan met her at the board to explain his notes. "Her car was found in Washington Heights. The parts had been stripped and there were no useable prints, mostly smudges."

"So it could have been a carjacking."

"Not unless the doer can be in two places at once." Ryan pointed to a picture. "This is the guy responsible for the carjackings in that area. Robbery thought it was a whole team of guys doing the robbing and stripping; turns out it was just one. Two nights a week, this guy would steal three cars each night and take them back to his warehouse. He used the rest of the week to strip those six cars for their parts. You know how they caught him?" Beckett shook her head. "A taxi driver put it together. He recognized him as a fare he had sometimes twice a night. He read about the robberies, matched his fares and discovered the pattern."

"And he's not responsible because…"

Esposito answered. "Because he got picked up the night before while boosting a ride. He's still in lockup."

Beckett nodded. "So he has an air-tight alibi. What about the dead co-worker?"

Esposito held up two files. "These just got here. Where do you want to start?"

"I'll take this one." Beckett took the autopsy report and headed down to see Lanie.

* * *

Lanie didn't even look up as Beckett walked in. "I haven't found anything that proves the Fox is innocent of this one."

Beckett smiled. "I'm not here about that. Well, not completely. I've got an autopsy report from a case in Maine I want you to look at."

Lanie's interest perked up a notch. "What's the Maine connection?"

"Co-worker." Beckett handed the file over to Lanie. "Dr. Victoria Taylor was killed in a hunting accident while on vacation with family."

"And you're not sure it was an accident." Lanie took the autopsy and crimes scene photos out of the folder and spread them out to take a look. "Was anyone ever arrested?"

"Not that I know of. Mahra's co-workers mentioned that the police couldn't tell who fired the shot." Beckett turned to the coroner's report. "It says she was shot from about 4 feet away."

"Standing up or lying down?"

"Um," Beckett scanned the document, "standing."

Lanie scoffed. "Idiots."

"Why's that?"

"Look." Lanie pushed the photo of the crime scene after the body had been removed to Beckett. "See the little pellets in the ground? She was shot after she was on the ground. And despite the lack of stippling, I'm guessing the shot was from less than two feet."

Beckett looked from the photo to her friend. "How can you tell?"

"Buckshot is pretty lethal because it spreads out after it is fired. When it hits a target from a distance, the shot is spread out a lot and imbeds itself in the target with a wide distribution. When it is fired from close range, the shot is still clustered fairly close together and in some cases can rip right through the target."

"So?"

Lanie pointed at the photo again. "These pellets went through her body and embedded themselves into the ground. This was no accident."

"It was murder." A possibility struck Beckett. "Could the killer have used buckshot to cover up the real cause of death?"

Lanie looked up. "Like a stab wound to the kidney?" Beckett nodded. "Absolutely, and if that is the case, her already compromised abdomen would make it even easier for the pellets to go right through her. If the killer is the Shadow Fox, and he used the buckshot to cover-up the real cause of death, he was smart enough to remove the evidence of stippling. That's why the M.E. messed up. I'm going to talk to the Medical Examiner's office up there and see about exhuming the body for further examination."

"Let me know what happens with that."

* * *

Beckett returned to the bullpen. "Lanie says Dr. Taylor's death was no accident. What have you guys found?"

Esposito hung up. "Not much. No one saw what happened and there wasn't enough forensic evidence to identify her potential killer."

"Nothing?"

"No fibers, prints, DNA, nothing." Esposito wrote it up on the board. "Apparently the family is less than thrilled about that."

Beckett glanced at the case file. "Where is the family?"

Ryan hung up his phone. "She's not married and doesn't have any kids, but her parents live in White Plains. They're on their way back from Maine now; should be able to meet with us some time tomorrow. Here's the address."

"Good." Beckett turned to look at the board. "We should…"

"Detectives, my office." Gates was frowning as she stepped away from the door. "Is it just me, or are you investigating a murder that happened a month ago well outside of our jurisdiction?"

"Sir, Dr. Taylor was part of Dr. Mahra's research team." Beckett was cut off before she could explain.

"So?"

Beckett was surprised. "So, I think it's connected."

"You think." Beckett nodded. "Well, I think that you don't need to add more to your plate. You already have one body. Don't make it two."

Esposito stepped in. "Captain, Dr. Mahra was killed less than a week after going to the FBI with information. We know the Shadow Fox was involved, so Dr. Mahra was most likely killed because of that information. We have to look into the possibility that Dr. Taylor was killed for the same reason."

"Dr. Taylor's death was ruled a hunting accident…"

Beckett interrupted. "Not according to Dr. Parish."

"Excuse me?"

"Dr. Taylor was murdered. The buckshot was an afterthought, most likely used as a cover-up." Beckett knew she was on thin ice now.

"Solve **your **case." Gates looked each of them in the eye before continuing. "Drop the Taylor case."

They mumbled, "Yes sir," and returned to their desks.

* * *

**A/N: I did my best researching the properties of buckshot, but it is hard to get consistent data. Any predictions about what is going to happen? Drop me a comment and we'll see who is right!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank KB4RC and Smgeiner for their reviews. KB4RC: I think the use of "Always" there was just to show Alex that Kate really does care for her, but I totally see your point. I won't use it that way in the future. Thanks for your input! Enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 37

Beckett couldn't believe it. Iron Gates was being true to her nickname and throwing up an iron gate because…why? There was no real reason. Dr. Taylor had been murdered, presumably by the Shadow Fox, but Gates didn't want them looking into the possibility. It didn't make sense. It would be like asking a Medical Examiner to look at only part of a body and rule on the cause of death. Beckett sat down in frustration. She wasn't going to stop doing her job, even if the Captain wanted her to. Her gut said the two cases were connected; maybe if she found the connection, Gates would change her tune.

The smell of Chinese food brought her out of her revere. "I hope you haven't eaten yet, because I brought lunch."

Ryan looked up from his phone. "Thanks, but I'm meeting my wife for lunch. Sorry man."

"Me too." Esposito was putting his coat on. "Lanie and I are going out. Next time."

Castle looked disappointed. "Oh, okay."

Beckett grabbed her coat. "Let's take this somewhere more private."

* * *

A few moments later, they found themselves on the roof.

Castle pulled a couple containers out of the bag. "That bad, hunh?"

Beckett took the chopsticks he handed her. "You have no idea. We started looking into the hunting accident and Gates shut us down."

Castle opened his container. "Is it connected?"

"It wasn't an accident." Beckett swallowed. "I have to wait until Friday to talk to O'Connor's supervisor."

"What for?"

"O'Connor was the one who took Dr. Mahra's statement. I want to talk to the supervisor and see if I can't find out what she was reporting."

Castle stole a mushroom from Beckett's container. "He failed to mention that. Did the other victim go to the FBI as well?"

"I don't know." Beckett stole a chunk of beef from Castle's container. "How's the book coming?"

"I called Alex and she asked to be removed from the manuscript. So I had to cut that character." He went to steal another mushroom and Beckett gave him the carton. "But the ending is still off, so I'm taking a step back."

Beckett opened the chow mein. "Good. Maybe when you go back to it, you'll see what needs to be fixed."

"That's the plan." Castle put Beckett's carton down between them. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No, thanks." She traded the chow mein for her Mushroom Chicken and ate a few bites in silence. "What kind of information could get you killed?"

"You mean if you're a research doctor?" Beckett nodded. "Well, it depends on who the assassin's client is. You said O'Connor mentioned the info she had was about her company?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so the client is either from her company or a rival company. The rival could have been hoping that she could be a mole for them and then got upset when she didn't stick to the plan. But I'm leaning more toward her company." He traded his broccoli beef for the chow mein. "She was in a research team that has now lost 2 members. What was Dr. Taylor's position?"

"She was the team leader." Beckett stole another chunk of beef. "Dr. Mahra was second in command."

Castle sat back as a thought hit him. "Maybe the murders had nothing to do with Dr. Mahra's visit to the FBI. Maybe the timing was just a coincidence."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "You know I don't believe in coincidences."

Castle smiled. "Just hear me out. What if the two doctors were killed because of their positions?"

"How do you mean?"

"Dr. Taylor and Dr. Mahra were in the positions of power within the team. Without them in the picture, someone else now has the opportunity to step into their positions."

Beckett gave Castle a look. "Seems a little simple for one of your theories. No wonder you can't write the ending."

"Sometimes the simplest solution is the best way." A look crossed Castle's face and he quickly grabbed the receipt from the bag.

Beckett had to laugh. "They overcharge you?"

"No." Castle finally found a pen. "I need to jot down this idea before I lose it. I think I may have just figured out how to end this book."

Beckett grabbed the chow mein while he was writing. "I don't think that receipt is big enough."

"It will at least let me leave a couple notes to myself. Got it." He put the pen back in his pocket and finished the broccoli beef. "Let's get back inside; it's cold out here."

Beckett helped collect the trash and they put the leftovers in the break room fridge. Then she moved the board to where she could easily see it from her desk and started walking Castle through it. Esposito and Ryan slowly trickled in and together they spent the rest of the day piecing together Dr. Mahra's last few days. Statements from her neighbors were reviewed, though not very many had known her at all, let alone well. Financial records revealed that Dr. Mahra's purchases rarely deviated from the same few stores. Her phone records showed that she only called a few people, and all of them were either co-workers or family.

Beckett was finally able to contact Anita's family and inform them of her death. Though it was difficult to talk to the family because of the language barrier, one of Anita's brothers spoke enough English to understand what Beckett had said and then translate for the family. When asked if he knew anything about Anita's work, the brother admitted that it had been a few weeks since the family had heard from her and they had begun to fear that something like this had happened. Beckett hung up the phone after that conversation with the same feeling she always had when she had to notify a family: grief and determination to not let a killer get away with what he had done. The team said goodbye and went home for the night when it became apparent that they weren't going to be able to get anything more done that night.

* * *

Gates called them in to the precinct for a meeting early the next morning in her office. "What do you have so far?"

Beckett took a deep breath. "The Shadow Fox is back. Dr. Parish's autopsy report confirms this."

"And where is Dr. Parish?"

Esposito was quick to answer. "She was called away to consult on another case."

Gates looked skeptical, so Beckett quickly continued her report. "The victim, Dr. Anita Mahra, was part of a five person research team for Vertanin Pharmaceuticals. The team was developing a new drug to treat Alzheimer's. According to the people we've interviewed, she was quiet and a workaholic."

Esposito jumped in with a side comment. "Half of her weekends, you were more likely to find her at the office than you were at home."

Beckett continued. "Last week she met with an FBI agent with information regarding her company. As of right now, we don't know what the information was."

"How do you propose we get it? You don't have enough for a…" Gates was interrupted by a ringing phone.

Esposito answered it. "Javier Esposito, Homicide. Yeah. We're on our way." He hung up the phone and returned to Gates' office. "We got a body."

"Let's go."

* * *

Beckett was surprised when Perlmutter was the one to step out of the coroner's van at the scene. _Lanie must be busy with the case from Maine, just like Esposito said_. The group all ducked under the tape and entered the dirty alley. The victim was facedown in a pool of blood. As they got closer, they caught the foul odor of fermenting garbage and urine. Perlmutter tucked his tie into his shirt and bent down to begin his preliminary exam. Esposito and Ryan went to interview the witnesses while Beckett and Castle went to talk to the first responders.

"What did you see when you got here?"

The senior officer responded. "Nothing at first. We were responding to a public disturbance call. Nothing was happening, but we decided to check it out anyway. We went to investigate and didn't see anything. The body was covered by that tarp the CSU guys just bagged." Beckett turned to look. "I didn't see it. We were about to leave when Kip here noticed the blood and checked under the tarp."

"Then what happened?"

Kip was still visibly pale. "I bolted for the end of the alley before my breakfast came back up."

Beckett smiled. "First dead body?" He nodded. "That's okay. I'd be more worried if you didn't hurl."

The senior partner was trying not to laugh. "We called it in. We think he came out of the bar there to take a leak when he was mugged."

"What makes you say he was mugged?"

The junior officer pointed. "We found his wallet near the other end of the alley while we were roping it off. The cash and cards were missing, but the I.D. was still in it."

Beckett nodded. "At any time did you touch anything?"

The officers shook their heads. "Not without gloves."

Beckett thanked the officers and joined Perlmutter at the body. "What do you think, Perlmutter? Mugging gone wrong?"

"You know I hate to speculate in the field." Perlmutter finished writing and stood. "But in this case, I can answer your question with a resounding 'no'. This attack was way too precise to be a spur of the moment killing."

Beckett nodded. "Do we know who the victim is?"

"Dr. Rodger Fendway." Perlmutter went back to the body.

Castle looked at Beckett. "That's one of Dr. Mahra's colleagues, wasn't it?"

"Yep." Beckett looked up as Esposito approached. "What do we have?"

"No one heard a thing. Bar manager says Fendway left his bar around midnight but never came back. Was kinda pissed about the unpaid tab." Esposito glanced at his notes. "He said Fendway must have been with a friend because they were talking in hushed voices. Ryan's gone to get the receipt."

"Got the receipt." Ryan showed Beckett the evidence bag. "The friend paid with a credit card, so we should be able to track down who Fendway was with."

"Good. Have tech run that as soon as you get back."

"You got it." The boys went over to the gathering crowd and started taking statements.

Castle turned to Beckett. "I take it back. This has nothing to do with positions of power within the group."

Beckett nodded. "We need to find out what these doctors were working on."

* * *

Beckett and the team spent the rest of the morning establishing Dr. Fendway's timeline. CSU was still processing the scene. It was unlikely that they would turn up anything useful considering the location, but Beckett was hopeful. Something, anything, that might point them in the right direction would be wonderful. By late morning, Fendway's timeline had been flushed out and Castle was returning from his lunch run. Perlmutter hadn't called about the autopsy results yet, so Beckett moved on to reviewing the CSU results from Dr. Mahra's scene. When nothing new surfaced, she turned to comparing the boards. Something about the timeline was frustrating Beckett. The Shadow Fox always seemed to know where the victims were going to be and when they were going to be there, but Drs. Mahra and Fendway only had one place in common: work. So how would he know both victims' schedules?

Castle seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "He uses partners."

"What?"

Castle moved the boards closer to Beckett's desk. "I was looking at the timeline and thinking about how it would be difficult to follow them both, so I'm thinking he must use partners. Or at least hire people to follow the marks around."

Beckett nodded. "I was thinking about that too. I want to talk to the remaining co-workers again."

* * *

Beckett shut the door to I1 behind her. "Thank you for coming down Dr. Sulu. I just have a few more questions for you."

"This is about Rodger, isn't it?" Beckett sat down. "When he didn't come in this morning, I knew he was in trouble or dead."

Beckett started softly. "As you know, we've been looking into the deaths of two of your colleagues and I was hoping you could help. Do you know if either Dr. Mahra or Dr. Fendway were followed in the last few weeks? Do you remember seeing anyone hanging out around them that maybe seemed out of place or shouldn't be there?"

"Not that I know of. At least they never mentioned anyone stalking them. How would that help?"

"Well, it could mean nothing." Beckett wrote a note in her book and then changed tactics. "What the hell were the five of you into? Because I'm trying to figure out why three of you are now dead, but I can't seem to grasp the answer."

Sulu shrugged. "The news says Rodger was mugged behind a bar. It's funny; he became a doctor, with a great paycheck, but he insisted on going to the bars where he grew up. I always told him he should upgrade. I mean, that's a bad neighborhood. But no; he had to go there."

Beckett wasn't about to be sidetracked. "What were the five of you into?"

"Nothing. Nothing that could warrant murder." Sulu was getting frustrated. "Detective, can you hear yourself? You're making it sound like we are being targeted. Victoria was killed in an accident, Anita was carjacked, and Rodger was mugged in a crime-ridden neighborhood. No one is following them. It is just a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences." From the folder she'd brought in with her, Beckett produced a cast of a knife wound. "This is a cast from Dr. Mahra's wounds. It shows us the kind of knife that was used to kill her." She pulled out 2 more casts. "These are from a double homicide in the Roosevelt Hotel a few months ago. You want to know the scary thing? These two casts are identical to the one we got from Dr. Mahra."

Sulu was in shock. "No…"

"Rodger's body is in the morgue right now. What are you willing to bet that I'm going to receive another cast that looks just like this?" Beckett gathered the casts and her folder and left I1 to return to her desk.

Castle met her on the way. "Gates was watching."

Beckett nodded. "That's why I didn't mention Lanie working on Dr. Taylor's case in Maine." She sat down. "Where's Perlmutter on the autopsy?"

Esposito returned to his desk with a coffee. "He just called. Autopsy's done. He's waiting on you."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, more fun with Perlmutter. I will admit that I like writing for him; it seems to be really easy to get inside his head. Some of the other characters...**


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. We're starting where the last one left off. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 38

Perlmutter was upset when they arrived. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? You're not the only body I have today. I just got a call about another one."

Beckett was accustomed to his behavior and knew better than to brush him off. "Sorry, we were in an interrogation. What did you find?"

"I know how displeased you were with my work the last time, so I made sure to check my findings against Dr. Parish's notes on the assassin know as the Shadow Fox. Due to that, I can conclude that Dr. Rodger Fendway was indeed killed by the same person who killed Dr. Anita Mahra. Here is the cast I made from the wound. It's a match to the other Shadow Fox cases." Perlmutter handed Beckett the cast.

"Great." She slipped it into her folder. "Anything else we should know?"

Perlmutter handed her his report. "I found it odd that a man like this was overpowered so easily; he's built like an ox. So I ran a tox panel and found out that he was drunk. Very drunk."

Castle scanned the report over Beckett's shoulder. "How drunk are we talking?"

"0.2; two and a half times the legal limit. Plus there were traces of a sedative in his system. I'm surprised he managed to make it outside."

Beckett looked up from the report. "So he had no chance of fighting off his attacker."

Perlmutter nodded. "None whatsoever. Now, do you mind?"

"Sure." Perlmutter brushed past them and out of the morgue.

Castle walked over to Fendway's side. "Why cover him with the tarp?"

Beckett joined him. "What do you mean?"

Castle turned to face her. "Normally, covering a body with something shows remorse for the action. The Shadow Fox isn't likely to be remorseful about this. So, if you're going to make it look like a mugging, why bother covering him up with a tarp?"

"It was probably used to give the killer an extra few minutes to escape."

Castle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Beckett tugged his arm. "Come on, let's go."

They returned to the bullpen to find the boys waiting for the elevator. "We were about to call you. We got a name for the friend. Charles Whittaker. And we got an address."

* * *

Beckett knocked on Charles Whittaker's door and heard, "Just a minute," from the other side. Finally the door opened. "Can I help you?"

"Charles Whittaker?" He nodded and Beckett showed her badge. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. We're here to ask you some questions about Dr. Rodger Fendway."

Whittaker was confused. "Who?"

"Rodger Fendway." Beckett showed the DMV picture of Fendway. "You had drinks with him last night at Ox Cart Tavern."

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong man."

"Charles Whittaker at 200 Mercer St., Apartment 3C?" He nodded. "Your credit card was used there by someone who was with Dr. Fendway." Beckett was beginning to suspect what had happened.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't know any doctors called Fendway. I've also never been to the Ox Cart Tavern, and as for my credit card being used there, my identity was stolen a couple of months ago. I've been trying to get it all sorted out ever since."

Esposito stepped forward. "Do you recognize this man at all? Maybe he gave you another name."

Whittaker shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him before. Sorry."

"Thank you for your time." Whittaker shut the door and Esposito turned around. "This was set up to get us to chase a false lead."

Ryan nodded. "So who was Fendway talking to?"

Beckett started walking down the hallway and back to the cars. "We need to talk to the bar's manager again."

* * *

"What do you want me to do?" The manager shut the door to his office. "I don't honestly care if the card was stolen or not. If it goes through and I get my money, I'm happy."

Beckett sighed. "I'm not here to bust you for accepting a fraudulent card. I just want to know what the man who used it looked like."

The manager sat down in his chair. "It was hard to tell with all the facial hair. This guy had a full beard and mustache. I mean, Santa Claus full. Only it was all black, not white."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. He was wearing glasses and there was a scar on his nose. And he was wearing a trucking hat."

"Is he a regular?" Castle was only half listening as he wandered around the room.

The manager was watching him. "No, I'd never seen him before. But I know he wasn't from around here. His accent was from the Deep South. Please don't touch that."

Castle put the statuette down and Beckett moved to the next question. "I saw you have a camera mounted above the door. Could we get the footage?"

The manager shook his head. "It's just for show. Most of my customers see that and behave themselves."

"So you don't have a security company monitoring the cameras at all?"

"No, but a lady from a company came by last week." He dug around on his desk for a minute. "Here it is. Avalon Security."

Beckett reached for the card. "What was she here for?"

"Asked me if I wanted to upgrade my security systems. Why?"

Beckett turned the card to Castle. "Pamela Kreutz. Do you remember what she looked like?"

"Yeah. Red hair, green eyes, slightly darker skin; I guess you could call it olive. I think her hair was a dye job though, because the roots were black."

Beckett and Castle knew what that meant. "Do you remember anything specific?"

The manager shrugged. "She dressed nice. And she specifically asked about the cameras."

Castle turned back to the manager. "What did you tell her?"

"I just said that they'd worked for me in the past and I wasn't changing them now. Even after I told her I wasn't interested, she insisted on leaving her card."

Beckett held up the card. "Mind if we take this?"

The manager stood. "Keep it. I was gonna toss it anyway."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Esposito put down his phone. "Avalon Security is a real company, but they've never had a Pamela Kreutz working there. And CSU just emailed to tell us…" he opened the email, "that the manager's prints and yours were the only ones on the card."

Ryan hung up his phone. "Talked to the only Pamela Kreutz listed in the state. She's 84 and lives in East Patchogue. The last time she was in the city was over a decade ago for her niece's wedding."

Esposito looked at his partner. "Took you half an hour to get that?"

Ryan got defensive. "She's old, wanted to take a trip down memory lane. Anyway, she's not the one we're looking for."

Beckett updated the board. "It looks like the Shadow Fox does like to have accomplices. The woman who poses as Pamela Kreutz has worked with him before, so she's probably his partner. And the trucker could be new or the Shadow Fox in disguise. Either way, let's get the pictures and descriptions out there."

Castle took the sketch of Kreutz down. "She was sent to case the place; find out if the camera worked. The trucker was probably told to find out what Fendway knew."

Beckett turned from the board. "I'm going to take another crack at Sulu."

"You can't." Ryan pointed to I1, where Karpowski was grilling a suspect, as Esposito picked up his ringing phone. "Gates must have kicked him loose while we were talking to Whittaker."

"I kicked him loose just before we left; we had nothing to hold him on." Beckett grabbed her coat. "We'll go visit him at work."

Esposito hung up. "He's not likely to say much. Perlmutter just called from the scene. Dr. Sulu is dead."

* * *

The crime scene was in an alley near a subway entrance just three blocks from Vertanin Pharmaceuticals. Beckett pulled up to the scene and parked next to one of the many blue and whites there. She stepped out and ducked under the crime scene tape, holding out her badge until she had arrived at the body. Esposito and Ryan had fanned out, taking statements.

"What happened?"

Perlmutter was wrapping things up at the scene and didn't look up. "He was stabbed. Lower back, near the kidney. Go ahead, say it."

"Shadow Fox?" Castle was looking around the alley. "I see two cameras, but neither of them are pointed this way."

Beckett nodded. "I'll still want the footage. There may be something they picked up. Who called it in?"

"Homeless lady." Esposito and Ryan had walked up in time to hear Beckett's last sentence. "She was going through the trashcans when she found him."

"She must have found him just after." Beckett turned to Perlmutter. "Any chance I can get a preliminary T.O.D.?"

Perlmutter sighed. "He is still warm, so no more than an hour or two ago. Can I get him back to the morgue now?"

"Go ahead." Beckett turned back to the boys. "What else did you find out?"

Ryan pointed across the street. "The store across the street looks like it has a camera that was pointed in this direction. I think it might have a clear view of at least the alley's entrance. I'll see if I can get the footage." He turned to go.

"Add these to your list." Beckett pointed to the cameras in the alley and Ryan nodded as he left. "Javi, did you talk to the woman?"

"Yeah, she said she didn't see anyone or hear anything. She'd just started looking through the cans at the lip when she saw his shoes. Went to investigate and found him dead."

Beckett glanced past Esposito to where the homeless lady was standing. "How'd she call it in?"

"She used Sulu's phone. Said it was just lying there next to him. Apparently she was kind off upset when CSU bagged it."

"Hostile?"

Esposito shook his head. "No, she handed it right over. She was just disappointed that she had to."

"Let's walk this though. The Shadow Fox is what? About 5'6", 150 pounds?" Castle was walking toward the mouth of the alley.

Beckett and Esposito followed. "If Alex's descriptions are accurate."

Castle stopped in between the subway and the alley. "Assuming Sulu was here when he was grabbed, how did he end up 30 feet in there?"

Esposito saw what he was getting at. "He's over six feet tall. No way someone just pulled him back there."

Beckett nodded. "So he was lured or forced. How?"

Ryan came back from the shop. "The store over there can play back their security tapes. I think we might have the how."

"How?"

"I'll give you a hint. She has red hair and dresses in a business suit."

Castle was the first to answer. "Pamela Kreutz. How'd she get him to follow her?"

Ryan pulled out his notebook. "She came out of the alley looking upset, grabs his hand and he follows her into the alley. What he didn't know is she was at the mouth of the alley for a few minutes waiting for him."

"You get a copy?"

"Hardly had to ask." Ryan held it up. "The quality isn't the best, but it's something. I'll get the other cameras when I can find out who has the footage from them."

"Good." Beckett sighed. "That's four. We need to offer Dr. Cronin protection before he becomes the next victim."

* * *

**A/N: What's going to happen next? Please leave me a review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1, pokung16, sxcthing123, and Miss Decka Decka for their reviews. Thank you so much for sticking with the story and loving it! I'd also like to apologize for posting this so late. I actually tried to post it last night, but for some reason, fanfiction wouldn't let me go to the "manage stories" tab. Sorry about the inconvenience.**

**This chapter is a little on the long side. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 39

Night was beginning to fall when Beckett and Castle arrived at Victoria Taylor's parent's house in White Plains. Ryan and Esposito had agreed to take point in the search for Dr. Cronin so that Beckett and Castle could make this trip. Beckett checked her phone before getting out of the car. _Good; Gates wasn't checking for them yet_. Beckett knew Gates was likely to yell at them if, or when, she found out they hadn't stopped looking into Dr. Taylor's death.

Castle had noticed. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Beckett pocketed her phone as they approached the front door. "Just making sure Gates wasn't looking for us yet." She knocked on the door.

Mrs. Taylor answered. "Yes?"

Beckett smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Taylor?" Victoria's mother nodded. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett."

Mrs. Taylor's face brightened. "Oh, yes. You said you'd come. Please, come in."

"Thank you." Beckett and Castle entered. "I'm sorry for the late hour. We've been fairly busy today."

"Because both Fendway and Sulu were murdered?" Mr. Taylor came into the room. "I've just been watching the News. They both worked with Vicky and Anita at Vertanin. Fendway and Anita have worked with Vicky on various research projects for years now."

Everyone sat down and Beckett began the interview. "Did you know Dr. Nykwana Sulu?"

"He was new to the team; new to the company. I think Vicky said he'd only been with Vertanin for a couple years. This was the first project she'd worked on with him. She seemed to like him though." Mr. Taylor wrapped his arm around his wife. "There was a Dr. Parish here last night. She asked for permission to exhume Vicky's body. Do you think it will help?"

"Dr. Parish is one of the best medical examiners I've ever known. If anyone could help identify the murderer, it's her."

Mr. Taylor seemed relieved. "Good. I hope so."

Mrs. Taylor looked Beckett in the eye. "How can we help?"

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter, if you don't mind." Beckett waited for their permission.

"Absolutely, whatever it takes." Mr. Taylor glanced at his wife, who nodded. "We want to know who did this."

Beckett continued. "In the months leading up to her death, did your daughter act different at all?"

"No, she was normal," Mrs. Taylor paused, "although, about a month before she was killed, she did seem to be a little more cautious."

Castle leaned forward slightly. "Did she ever mention why?"

Mr. Taylor shook his head. "We never asked. I just assumed it had to do with the accident."

"What accident?"

"Just a fender-bender. She was in a cab that got hit from behind by a messenger cyclist. That kid nearly broke his neck I guess. I just thought she was more cautious because of that."

Castle glanced at Beckett. "Did she ever mention being followed, or feeling like she was being watched?" The Taylors shook their heads.

Beckett decided to move into a different question track. "Do you know what Vicky was working on?"

"It was a new drug for Alzheimer's patients. She was studying the side effects."

"Did she ever talk about her work with you?"

Mrs. Taylor shook her head. "No, never. Right, Phil?"

"Not never." Mrs. Taylor looked at her husband in surprise. "She'd mentioned that her boss wasn't always honest. About two months before she died, she said she thought her boss might be up to something illegal."

Mrs. Taylor was hurt. "She never told me anything like that."

Mr. Taylor held her closer. "She didn't want you to worry. She was afraid of getting anyone hurt, so she never really went into detail. She didn't tell me what he was up to."

Beckett tried to recapture their attention. "Who was her boss?"

Mr. Taylor turned back to Beckett. "It wasn't her direct boss. It was the CEO. She did tell me that much. He was up to something."

Castle looked at Beckett before asking his next question. "While you were up in Maine, did anything seem strange to you?"

Mr. Taylor was getting frustrated. "You mean besides my only daughter getting shot in the back by someone who was literally just a few feet from her?"

Mrs. Taylor putting a calming hand on her husband's knee. "Honey, they're just trying to find out what happened. You have to stop assuming that the cops are out to get you."

Mr. Taylor sighed. "I'm sorry. I've just become really frustrated with this whole mess. The detectives in Maine seemed to be so incompetent with the case. They were sure it was a hunting accident from the get go. And it's not just them. Vicky went to the FBI about a month and a half ago with whatever information she had on that CEO, and they've done nothing about it."

"Wait, Victoria went to the FBI with information?" Castle glanced at an equally surprised Beckett. "Did she ever say who she talked to?"

"Not to me." Mrs. Taylor glanced at her husband. "She was here the day before we left for the family reunion when she got a call from Anita. Vicky went outside to the porch, but I could still hear what she was saying. She mentioned a Special Agent Robert O'Connor. I thought she might have been talking about a boyfriend, but now that I know Vicky went to the FBI, I'm guessing she was telling Anita who she'd talked to."

Beckett had been taking notes. "When was this?"

"Three days before she was killed."

* * *

Beckett was still reeling when she arrived at the precinct early the next morning. O'Connor was more involved with this case than he had initially let on. Beckett had always assumed that Dr. Mahra was the whistleblower. Now it sounded like she went in only when nothing happened with Dr. Taylor's initial attempt. So Taylor had been the start, the linchpin. When her death didn't stop another member of the research team from doing the right thing, the rest were targeted. Gates had to listen to them now.

But that would have to wait because Dr. Cronin was being escorted in by Ryan and Esposito. "Let's use the Conference Room."

Cronin took a seat by the window. "I should have come in last night, I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe what was happening."

Beckett sat across from him. "What is going on, David?"

Cronin shook his head. "I'm a dead man if I say anything. That's why Vicky and Anita are dead. They talked. If they had kept their mouths shut, none of this would be happening."

"David, we can help you." Slowly, Cronin's eyes left the table and focused on Beckett. "I can get you protection. Maybe even WITSEC. But I need you to tell us what has been going on."

Cronin thought about that for a minute and then nodded. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"What were the five of you into?"

"It's not what we were into. It's what we caught the CEO doing. Vicky caught it first. She was finishing up some research and went into the file on the drug we were developing to update some of the data. That's when she saw it."

Castle leaned forward. "What did she see?"

"She was reviewing the test results and noticed that some of the data didn't match what we had initially entered. She checked it against her notes and realized that someone had altered the results. They made it sound like the drug was actually working. So she went to the security department and told them she thought someone, maybe a competitor, was hacking our computers to change data."

"What happened with that?"

Cronin shrugged. "They told us that they had run a diagnostic on all the computers and there was no evidence that the firewall had been breached. So Vicky went to the CEO and told him she thought someone in the company was trying to push a potentially dangerous drug through. The next day, there was a break-in. All of our notes were stolen. I'm sure the CEO is behind that."

Beckett's interest was peaked at the possibility of a new lead. "Is there a police report on file?"

Cronin shook his head. "Mr. Blackwell handled it internally. Luckily, I always make sure to backup my notes. All of us do…did…here." He pulled out a large stack of papers from his briefcase. "I printed this all up last night. The bundle is our research; all of it. And the folder is the report that the FDA was supposed to receive. We wrote it from our backup notes. Unfortunately, this isn't the report the FDA is going to receive."

Castle pulled some of the papers to him. "Why would Blackwell forge your results?"

"Because the drug doesn't work. In a lot of ways, the drug is actually more dangerous to take than it is to go without."

Beckett looked up. "It's not worth the risks."

Cronin nodded. "It's not that the drug doesn't do it's job, it's just that the risks and side effects outweigh the benefits."

Castle put down the research papers when he realized that he didn't understand it. "So why is Vertanin pushing it through anyway?"

"Money." Cronin took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Vertanin has been losing out to her competitors lately, so Blackwell is trying to push out a new blockbuster drug to boost revenues. Maybe save the company until they develop the next blockbuster drug."

"And he's hoping that the lawsuits against this drug get tangled up in the courts rather than be responsible now." Beckett was beginning to see what was happening.

Cronin nodded. "He doesn't care who gets hurt, as long as he can push the blame onto someone else."

"Doesn't really work if all the researchers were murdered." Castle looked around as Esposito entered.

Esposito took a seat and Beckett continued. "Why kill the others? And why in that order?"

Cronin sat back. "Vicky went to the Feds first. After our notes went missing, she realized that the CEO was behind it. Anita went in after Vicky's death because nothing had happened. I tried to convince her that maybe she should talk to the police about it and let them go to the Feds, but she was sure that if two people talked to the same Fed, something would get done. Rodger…He didn't go to the Feds, but he did have a tendency to talk a lot, sometimes to complete strangers. I think the only reason he was kept around was because he was top in his field." He paused to get a drink of water.

"What about Sulu?"

"After Sulu was brought here to talk to you, he came back to work and went straight to Blackwell's office. Threatened to tell the cops and Feds what he knew if Blackwell didn't come clean about the report. He left to go home right after that."

Beckett looked at Cronin. "Where is the report the FDA is supposed to receive?"

"I would guess somewhere at Vertanin."

* * *

Beckett left the meeting with Gates feeling satisfied. The detectives had laid out their case explaining how looking into Victoria Taylor's case was relevant to theirs. A phone call between Gates and the Maine State Police later and it was officially a joint investigation. As Beckett had suspected, Gates hadn't been happy to find out Dr. Parish had already spent some time up there, but she had at least refrained from taking out her anger on Beckett. All in all, it had been a fairly good meeting.

Castle stood up as Beckett approached. "How'd it go?"

Beckett put on her coat. "Taylor is officially ours now. I'm going to talk to O'Connor's supervisor; see what I can learn from him."

"Let me get my coat."

"No, this one I want to take alone." Beckett glanced at her watch. "Don't you have a meeting with your publisher today?"

Castle looked at his phone. "Yes I do. Meet you for lunch maybe?"

Beckett smiled. "It's a maybe date. Walk me to the elevator?" Castle nodded and had turned to fall into step with her when her phone rang. "Go ahead, I need to get this. Beckett. Hey Lanie, what's up? Sure, I'll be right down." She hung up as Esposito and Ryan returned from securing Cronin. "Lanie's back and she's got something. I'll fill you in later." She glanced up in time to see the elevator doors close on a full car and decided to take the stairs instead.

* * *

Lanie was still settling back into her office when Beckett arrived. "You got down here quick. Perlmutter wasn't that bad, was he?"

Beckett laughed. "No, but I've missed you. How was Maine?"

Lanie sat down. "If I had to move away from the city, I wouldn't mind living there. The fall is beautiful."

"I meant the case."

"Oh, I know that." Lanie pulled a folder out of her bag. "Here is a copy of their updated autopsy report. Because of the decomposition, the pictures are a little disturbing, but we did find a couple of things you might find interesting."

Beckett took the folder and opened it. "There is a reason I'm a cop and not a Medical Examiner. What am I looking at?"

Lanie brought her chair around. "This is a close-up of the wound. It's hard to see what's happening, but look at this." Lanie pointed to a section of the wound. "See how wide and straight that section is? It suggests a stab wound, not a gunshot."

"So, can you say the Shadow Fox is responsible for this?"

Lanie shook her head. "Unfortunately, the damage and decomp make it too hard to be conclusive, but this might help." Lanie handed her another folder. "A copy of the updated case file. This is pictures of the crime scene and the evidence log. Take a look at the evidence log."

Beckett opened the folder and turned to the right page. "What am I looking for?"

Lanie pointed to a line near the bottom of the last page. "Most of the CSU techs just assumed this was at the scene prior to Dr. Taylor's death because it was in the mud under her body, so they didn't bother to really look at it. That is until I got a call from Javier and received an update for the case on this end. That's when I had it tested."

Beckett read the line. "'One hair, red shaft, black root.' Please tell me you got DNA."

Lanie shook her head. "Sorry honey. I can tell you it was synthetic. The lady who is posing as Pamela Kreutz is wearing a wig."

"So she was there, but we can't say she's the killer because we don't know when she was there." Beckett looked up at her friend. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Lanie shook her head. "My final diagnosis is Dr. Taylor's cause of death was exsanguination through a combination of three stab wounds to the kidney area followed by a single gunshot to the abdomen with some sort of deer hunting shotgun. I can't really conclusively say who the killer was, but there is enough evidence present to suggest that the Shadow Fox, or one of his associates, may be responsible. I will say that the cover-up was better in this case than it has been in the past."

Beckett nodded. "Thanks for looking into it, Lanie."

"No problem." Lanie put her chair back behind her desk. "How was Perlmutter?"

"At least he checked your notes this time." Beckett almost left, but turned back. "I didn't see your ring today. What happened?"

Lanie smiled and pulled a chain out of her blouse. "I took your advice and got a chain for it. And you're right; it does keep it out of the way at work." She tucked it back into her shirt as her husband walked into the morgue.

Beckett saw Esposito and smiled as she left. "I'll let the two of you get caught up."

* * *

Beckett wanted to talk to O'Connor's supervisor, but decided to update the board before she left. It was a good thing she did because she learned that the two cameras in the alley had gone offline a couple minutes before Kreutz entered the alley. She also found out that the camera in the store hadn't been switched off because it was too difficult to get to without being caught on one of the cameras in the store en route to the manager's office. It was with that information in mind that Beckett entered the FBI building for the second time that week. The guard in the lobby was the same, but he was busy giving directions to what looked like high school kids on a school field trip. They were taking a while, so Beckett took a seat to wait out the crowd.

Within seconds, an older gentleman in a suit came up to her. "Detective Beckett, I'm I right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Special Agent William Greene. I'm O'Connor's supervisor." Already Beckett was beginning to like Greene. "I'm on my way out to lunch; would you mind joining me?"

Beckett was about to respond when her phone buzzed, indicating a text. It was from Castle, asking if she was still interested in meeting with him for lunch.

Greene was waiting for her response. "Um, my fiancé was hoping to meet with me for lunch."

"That's Mr. Castle, right?" Beckett nodded. "Have him join us. I know he works with you at the 12th, so I don't mind if he tags along."

"Okay, where are we going?"

"There's this little restaurant I like to go to about three blocks from here. An easy walk if you don't mind."

"That's fine." Beckett texted the change of plans to Castle and he quickly responded. "Why are we meeting somewhere else?"

Greene was already headed for the revolving doors. "Best if we talked about all of that at the restaurant."

Beckett was confused by the cryptic nature of the conversation, but she followed the agent outside anyway.

* * *

**A/N: I have to apologize for keeping Castle out in meetings a lot; when I was writing this case I could not find his voice, so it was easier for me to have him stuck in meetings most of the time. Unfortunately, that really isn't going to change much on this particular case. Don't worry, he's back in the next one. Please review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1, Miss Decka Decka and pokung16 for their reviews. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 40

They ended up at Baba ghanouge, a Mediterranean grill restaurant. Beckett ordered a Chicken Shawarma Pita while Greene got a Lamb Kafta Pita. Castle arrived minutes after they ordered and got a beef Shawarma Baguette.

Greene waited until they were halfway done with the meal to start talking about the case. "I know you've spoken to O'Connor earlier this week. What did he tell you?"

Beckett swallowed to answer. "Not much. He told me you were in DC. And that he would conduct interviews and then pass them on to you."

Greene nodded. "What case were you asking about?"

"The one I'm working on right now." Beckett pulled four photos out of the folder she'd brought with her. "These four victims were all part of a five man research team with Vertanin Pharmaceuticals. They were also killed within a two month period. Two of them," she pointed to Drs. Taylor and Mahra, "came to the FBI, and both of them spoke to O'Connor, but nothing was done with their information."

Greene looked over the head shots carefully. "Do you know what the information was about?"

Castle answered this time. "Falsifying reports that are going to be sent to the FDA."

Greene shook his head. "A case like that would have been looked into immediately."

Beckett sat back. "Then why didn't anything happen?"

"Because I never received a file on that." Greene noticed the Beckett wasn't convinced, so he explained. "This is the reason I've brought you here instead of discussing it in the office. Agent O'Connor has been under suspicion for some time. We believe that he is accepting bribes or trading favors for services rendered. Unfortunately, we've had to move slowly to avoid him finding out that he's under investigation."

"And you think he might be connected to Vertanin?"

Greene nodded. "We know he's at least connected to the CEO. Victor Blackwell was his commanding officer when they were both still in the military."

Castle glanced at Beckett. "So you think he's doing a favor for his old commander."

"I think he squashed the investigation before it could begin. By not passing the interviews on to me, he single-handedly ensured that we couldn't look into it."

Beckett glanced toward the door as it opened. "If you never got the reports, how did you know to send him to Dr. Anita Mahra's crime scene?"

Greene looked surprised. "That's news to me. I haven't sent him on a field assignment for almost six months."

"So when he said he was there on behalf of the Bureau to observe, he was lying." Beckett knew the answer even before Greene nodded.

Castle wiped his hands on a napkin. "So what are you planning on doing about him?"

"That's another reason I wanted to meet you. We are hoping that you might be able to help us with the sting."

The kid in Castle was getting excited. "What do we need to do?"

Greene smiled. "There are some things that need to be sorted out first. But I'll let you know when the time comes." The check came and Greene took care of it. "I'll be in touch."

They parted ways outside the restaurant, Greene walking back to his office while Castle hailed a cab for himself and Beckett. The cab dropped Beckett off at the 12th and Castle continued on back to his publisher's office.

It was after two when Beckett returned to her desk. "Yo, Beckett. What'd you find out?"

Beckett waited until her partners were at her desk to tell them. "What I'm about to say doesn't leave this circle." She waited until their amused faces nodded. "Special Agent O'Connor is dirty. I met with his supervisor and he let us know that O'Connor has been under investigation for a few months now."

"Us?"

Beckett nodded. "Castle joined me for lunch with Special Agent Greene. We may need to help with the sting to arrest O'Connor."

"Cool."

Beckett hung her coat on her chair and sat down. "What have you guys found out?"

Ryan looked at his partner. "When he finally returned from the morgue, we had to brief Gates on where we were with the Taylor case. I also went through the footage on the two cameras in the alley…"

Beckett interrupted. "I thought they were out during the murder."

Ryan nodded. "They were, but CSU examined the cameras themselves and concluded that they were disabled by a low grade explosive that severed the wires from the cameras to the external hard drives. So I checked the footage from earlier in the week and got this."

Beckett looked at the still Ryan handed her. "Is that a hand?"

Ryan nodded. "A gloved hand to be specific. Now, at first glance, this is useless. But, look at the logo on the tag. These gloves are high end, sold at only a few retailers in the city. The kind of glove that could easily be traced if you know what to look for."

"And that is?"

Ryan pointed. "Look. The tag for this glove is poking out. See the number?" Beckett nodded. "That's the serial number. I might be able to figure out where this pair was sold."

"Do it. What else do we have?"

It was Esposito's turn. "CSU reports for Fendway and Sulu are in. I was just about to take a look."

Beckett and Esposito spent the next hour and a half going over the two reports, making sure to jot down anything that stood out to them. Ryan joined them about halfway through while he waited for the manufacturer to get back to him about the gloves. Around four, Beckett had to give her eyes a rest. She went to the break room and made herself a coffee, but instead of returning to her desk with it, she took a seat at the table.

She'd just finished with the coffee when Esposito came and found her. "Manufacturer just called back; we might have something."

Beckett followed him back out to the bullpen as Ryan hung up the phone. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

"Surprise me."

"Bad news: that particular pair was part of a shipment that was stolen off the docks."

"So what's the good news?"

"The good news is there was a report filed." Ryan stood. "I'm going down to robbery to talk to Demming about that case."

Beckett returned to her desk. "Have fun. And bring back the case file. I'll want to look it over."

"Got it."

Esposito had followed her to her desk. "What should we do?"

"Let's crosscheck these reports against the other two cases. Maybe we'll run into something useful." Beckett wasn't looking forward to more reading, but most detective work was wading through a bunch of reports and making phone calls. Beckett ran a hand through her hair and got to work.

Ryan returned to the bullpen with the file half an hour later. "Got the report."

"What does it say?"

"They caught the guy." Ryan opened the file. "A James Harvey. Claimed he worked alone, but who can rip off a dock without a crew?"

Beckett nodded. "Where is he now?"

"Rikers."

Beckett looked at her watch. "It's too late to talk to him tonight. I'll go there in the morning."

Esposito closed the file he'd been reading. "I've just read the same line three times and still have no idea what I was looking at. I think it's time for me to go home and spend some time with my wife."

Ryan dropped the robbery file on Beckett's desk. "Me too. My little girl's been sick lately, so it's time to give Mommy a break."

Beckett picked up the robbery report. "I'm going to stay here a little longer. Have a good one."

"Take care."

* * *

Beckett only stayed long enough to read the robbery report before going home for the night. According to the case file, Harvey claimed he had simply grabbed a box from the open container when the dock workers went to check something out. No one had even noticed the box was missing until the shipment had arrived at the store a box short. Harvey had been arrested on Canal Street selling the gloves. An officer was put undercover to make the buy, they checked the serial number on the gloves against their list, and made the arrest.

The next morning, Beckett went straight to Rikers to talk to Harvey, who was serving a five year sentence. She knew it was unlikely that he would talk to her at all, but she had to try. An A.D.A. she'd spoken to while en route had said they would consider reducing Harvey's sentence by a few months if he gave them any information that brought them closer to identifying the Shadow Fox. After going through check in and locking up her gun, she was shown into the visitor's room and sat down, waiting for Harvey to be brought in. After a few minutes, he was brought in and took a seat across the table from her.

Beckett was the first to break the silence. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I was hoping to talk to you about the glove theft you pulled."

His response surprised her. "I wasn't aware that anyone had died on that job."

"No one did."

"Then what is a homicide detective doing here talking to me about those gloves?" He sat staring at her until she responded.

"I'm looking for someone who may have bought the gloves from you before your arrest."

"And why should I help you?"

"Because I've talked to an A.D.A. who said it might be possible to shave a few months off your sentence for cooperating." Beckett let that sink in before continuing. "The person I'm looking for is responsible for the deaths of at least eleven people."

Harvey shook his head. "Quite a few people bought gloves from me before my arrest. How do you expect me to remember just one?"

"Just try. If you can't, your sentence remains the same. So it won't hurt to try." Beckett pulled a photo array out of the folder she'd brought with her. "Is it one of these?"

Harvey looked at the six colored composite sketches. "That one. I know she bought from me. Hard to forget those eyes with that hair."

"Do you remember her name?"

Harvey thought about it. "Pam or Jan. I think her last name might have been German. Krutz or Kreutz. Somethin' like that."

"What else do you remember about her?"

Harvey shrugged. "If I remember correctly, I think she mentioned that they were going to be a gift for someone. Her boyfriend maybe."

"Was he with her?"

"No, she was alone." Harvey looked at Beckett. "What's that info worth?"

Beckett stood to leave. "Two if you're lucky."

* * *

Beckett noticed that the boys had pulled a new board into the Conference Room when she arrived at the precinct. She dropped off her coat and folder at her desk before joining them.

Esposito noticed her first. "How'd it go?"

"Another Kreutz sighting. I'll call the A.D.A. and let him know what Harvey said later. He can decide what to do about his sentence length. What are you guys doing?"

"We are listing out any similarities between the cases, kind of like what we did on the jewel theft case a few years ago. There's not much to go with so far."

"Like the theft case again. What do you have?"

Ryan stepped back. "One is Pamela Kreutz. We have evidence that she was at all of the scenes at on point."

Esposito filled Beckett in. "I went back to Mahra's building early this morning and showed Kreutz's picture around. Several people remember seeing her in the area before Mahra was killed."

Ryan continued. "We know M.O. and partner use. And poor cover-ups. But Kreutz is the only thing in common at all four."

Esposito pointed to the board. "Fendway and Sulu both looked like muggings. Mahra looked like a carjacking and mugging."

Castle had joined them. "So three of them looked like robberies of some sort."

Ryan nodded. "Fendway was ambushed, Mahra and Sulu were approached, and Taylor is unknown. A partner, a.k.a. Kreutz, was used on Fendway and Sulu, maybe on Taylor as well."

Beckett had a thought. "What if Kreutz is the killer?"

Castle nodded slowly. "It makes sense. Back in the beginning, Lanie said the killer could be a woman."

"Which means that the partner isn't Kreutz; it's the man."

Ryan held up a hand. "But what about Alex's description of her assailant?"

Beckett held up the CSU evidence photo of the red and black hair. "This hair is synthetic. Which means that Kreutz is adept at disguises. She could easily be posing as a man when she needs to."

Esposito shrugged. "Or maybe Pamela Kreutz is when the man is posing as a woman." Everyone turned to look at him. "Oh, come on. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened."

Beckett held up her hand. "Whichever way it is, Kreutz is the only constant. I think the Shadow Fox and Pamela Kreutz are the same person."

* * *

**A/N: Predictions? Drop me a line; I'd love to see who's close.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank sxcthing123 for their review. ****This chapter is starting up right where the last one left off. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 41

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay, I'll be right there. Don't leave her alone."

Castle followed her out of the Conference Room to her desk. "What's up?"

"Alex tried to go for a walk and had a panic attack." Beckett pulled on her coat and grabbed her keys.

"Is she okay?"

Beckett hurried to the elevator with Castle in tow and hit the button. "I'm going to find out. Stay here with the boys and keep digging. Find something we can use."

* * *

It took Beckett almost an hour to get to Alex's apartment; an accident on the most direct route forced her to make a time consuming detour. Once she arrived, she raced up the stairs to Alex's floor. A plainclothes officer was stationed at the open door.

Beckett flashed her badge and entered the apartment. "What happened?"

Alex looked up from her perch on the couch. "I was trying to take your advice. I just wanted to stop letting fear run my life. So I went for a walk. Simple, right?" Alex nervously chuckled. "I didn't get very far."

Beckett sat down. "What triggered it?"

Alex shrugged. "Nothing. I guess I just freaked out because I wasn't in my fortress anymore. Although the undercover cop approaching me really didn't help." A cop across the room looked up nervously. "It wasn't his fault, I was just afraid he might be the Shadow Fox. He had to show me his badge to get me to relax."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better-ish." Alex glanced up as another cop entered. "This never happened after Chicago."

Beckett reached out and squeezed Alex's shoulder. "You'll get back to normal." She paused before continuing. "After I was shot at my old captain's funeral, for a while I was able to pretend I was fine. But then we caught a case involving a sniper and I lost it. No one saw the panic attack I had, but at that moment, I felt weaker than I'd ever felt in my life. Despite that, I managed to get through it. You can too. It's just going to take some time."

Alex shook her head. "It's been three months."

Beckett smiled softly. "I'd been back at work for almost three months when I had that panic attack. That was over seven months after I'd been shot. Just give yourself some time."

Alex nodded. "Are you any closer to catching him?"

Beckett hesitated. "A little. We'll see where the leads takes us. Look, I've got to get back. Stay safe. Please."

Alex offered a weak smile. "Okay."

* * *

Beckett had barely returned to the precinct when Gates summoned her into her office. "What happened with Alex today?"

Beckett took the offered chair. "She tried to end her self-imposed house arrest and had a panic attack."

"Is she okay?"

"She was calm by the time I arrived." Beckett hesitated before giving in to her suspicion about this meeting. "Why?"

"It's about the case you're working." Beckett was starting to see where the conversation was headed. "We don't have enough for a warrant to go poking around and find that report the FDA is supposed to get, or the evidence that Blackwell is behind it. However, we also know that we are not the only law enforcement agency investigating Vertanin. I called in a favor with a friend of mine in the FBI and found out that Vertanin has been under investigation for years. Problem is…"

Beckett knew the problem. "They can never get documented evidence."

"Exactly. Which brings us to Alex." Gates stood and went to the window. "The NYPD can't ask a civilian to go in and collect the evidence. However, the FBI can ask her agency to lend them an undercover operative, who is trained in collecting evidence, for their investigation."

"No."

Gates turned away from the window. "Excuse me?"

Beckett stood up. "You can't put her in that position. The Shadow Fox is involved in this case and he wants Alex dead. If you send her into Vertanin, you are practically signing her death certificate yourself."

Gates returned to her seat and sighed. "You're right. We can't risk her life for a fraud investigation. I'm sure there are a number of good Hardy and Drew investigators that can be used."

Beckett relaxed. "Thank you, sir."

"How is the case going?"

Beckett sighed. "To be honest, we're starting to run out of leads."

Gates glanced through the window behind her at the double whiteboards and case files littering the Conference Room table. "Really?"

Beckett smiled. "We're beginning to grasp at straws. We've been looking for anything in every open Shadow Fox case that might give us a new lead."

Gates nodded. "The Shadow Fox is good, I'll give him that. His mentor, Rathborne? How many years was it before he was caught?"

The muscles in Beckett's jaw tightened. "It was eleven years after my mother's murder, but he'd been killing people for years before that."

"Well, it may take a few years before we catch the Shadow Fox, but I have faith in you, Detective. You'll get him."

Beckett nodded and left Gates' office. The boys were cleaning up the Conference Room and getting ready to leave for the night. Castle was waiting for her in his usual chair. After she helped the boys pile the case files into their respective boxes, she went to her desk and pulled on her coat as her computer shut down.

Castle had been watching her. "How's Alex?"

"Better now. It's just going to take her some time. Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Castle stood and followed her to the elevator. "We didn't find much more. The Shadow Fox has been really careful. No DNA or fingerprints to give us a name. All we have is the M.O."

"That's too bad." The elevator arrived. "So why weren't you helping with the cleanup in there?"

Castle held up his hand and displayed a paper-cut. "They kicked me out so I wouldn't bleed on the evidence. Do you think we'll catch this guy?"

"Or girl. And yes, I do. She can't hide forever."

* * *

It was still dark outside when Beckett's phone started to ring. "Beckett."

It was Lanie. "_Good morning_."

Beckett was still mostly asleep. "What time is it?"

"_Time for you to get your butt down here_. _We've got a body_."

Beckett groaned when she looked at the bedside clock. "Lanie, it's a quarter after three. And isn't Karpowski on call tonight?"

"_If this didn't involve the Shadow Fox, I would say yes_. _But it does, so it's you_." Lanie covered the phone with her hand to talk to someone. "_Sorry about that_. _Look, I know it's early, but you need to get down here_."

With the mention of the Shadow Fox, Beckett was now wide awake. "I'm on my way."

She hung up the phone and quietly slid out of bed to get dressed. Somehow, Castle had slept through the phone call and Beckett wasn't about to wake him up now. He had another series of meetings with his publishers to deal with over the next few days. Once she was dressed, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a yogurt cup, and left a note for Castle. Then she slipped out of the apartment and headed to work.

The crime scene was at the largest of the Central Parking System of NY garages in Chelsea. Police cruisers were blocking the entrances, lights flashing intrusively into the night. Even at this hour, there were a few looky-lous. Beckett flashed her badge and was waved through the police line. She asked one of the uniforms which floor the body was on, but he had just arrived at the scene himself and didn't know.

A shout caught her attention. "Make way! Coroner's van coming through!"

One of the cruisers at the entrance moved enough to let the van though. Beckett jumped up onto the rear bumper and grabbed the rail that ran down the length of the van, letting it take her right to the scene. The scene was one floor up, where Esposito and Lanie were waiting. Lanie applauded Beckett's dismount, but Beckett was beginning to feel the effects of little sleep and no coffee, so she barely had the energy to smile. Ryan was just arriving as well, though he must have been dropped off on the other side of the garage because he'd had to come up the stairs.

Esposito had been talking to one of the uniforms when he saw Beckett. "Hey. Officer Torres here was about to get a coffee run. Want anything?"

"Yes." Beckett told him her order before turning to the couple. "What do we got?"

Esposito hesitated. "You're not going to like this." He led the way to where the body was laying. "I think we all know who this is."

He moved out of the way so Beckett could see. "Dr. Cronin. Damn it! What is he doing out here?" Cronin's body was between two cars, facedown in a pool of blood.

Ryan pulled out his phone. "I'll talk to the detail. Tell them to secure the scene."

"I already took care of that, bro. CSU is headed down there as we speak."

Ryan gave a tired nod and turned to Beckett. "Want me to get started on witness statements?"

"Yeah. Start with the looky-lous. We can work on canvassing the area in the morning when more people are awake."

Esposito yawned. "I'll go with you."

Beckett knelt down next to Lanie in the tight space. "What do we have?"

"Stab wounds on his lower back, consistent with the Shadow Fox. And I also noticed evidence of defensive wounds on his hands and arms, but I don't see anything under his fingernails."

Beckett stood up. "So he fought with his attacker, but didn't necessarily get close enough to get the DNA." She noticed some blood drops. "Looks like a blood trail."

Officer Torres returned with the coffee. "Here's your coffee, Detective Beckett."

"Thank you." She glanced over his uniform as she took her first sip. "You're pretty new, aren't you? I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yes, sir. Ma'am. I've been here about a month. Moved down from Syracuse. Was a cop there for a couple years. I'd like to become a detective someday though." He suddenly flushed like he'd said too much.

"You want to start getting some detective experience?" He nodded. "Help me follow this blood trail."

She waved over two CSU techs and the small group started to follow the trail. Beckett or Torres would point out a blood drop and the techs would mark and photograph the drops. The drops led them up a level to a place where only a few cars were parked. When they reached the end of the trail, Beckett looked around. She noticed that they were now nearest the largest collection of cars on the level, which might have given the Shadow Fox enough room to hide. She turned her gaze toward the ceiling and spotted some cameras.

She motioned to the tech with the camera. "Could you get some panoramic shots of the level and where the blood trail ends?"

"I already have close-ups of the drops. Did you want a shot that's pulled back?"

"Yes, thank you."

The tech took the panoramic shots as Beckett followed the trail back toward the body. This time she was taking note of where the cameras were, aware at the same time that Torres was watching her closely. Two thoughts crossed her mind: "_Its funny how impressionable young cops are_" and,"_Hopefully this time the cameras haven't all been tampered with_." By the time Beckett and Torres returned to the second level, Cronin's body had been loaded into the coroner's van and Esposito and Ryan had come back up, their coffees in hand. Torres veered away to regroup with his partner.

Ryan spotted her first. "We were wondering where you'd gone."

"I followed a blood trail to where Cronin was first attacked." A couple more CSU techs headed up the ramp to the initial attack sight. "What'd you guys dig up?"

Esposito shook his head. "What you'd expect to find this early in the morning: not much. Most people who live near here would be asleep at this hour."

Beckett nodded and took another sip. "We should see if the cameras on this level are still working. I don't think the Shadow Fox was expecting Cronin to come down here."

"Which means we might get something." Ryan wrote that down in his ever present notebook. "I'll look into it in the morning."

Beckett led the way down to the ground floor. "Let's go check out the safe house." The trio hitched a ride back to the precinct in one of the blue and whites so they could get their cars.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! :) I love hearing what you guys think; it is very helpful when I'm planning out and writing the next case. Thank You!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank sxcthing123 for their review. We're starting up pretty much where the last one left off. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 42

The team arrived at the motel as the sun began to rise. Beckett finished the last of her coffee and then stepped out of the car. Only a couple patrol cars were parked out front, but CSU techs were already there processing the scene. Beckett ducked under the tape in the doorway to Cronin's room, pulling on a pair of gloves as she went. Techs inside were busy dusting the room for prints and taking pictures. Beckett walked around the room, taking in the details while Esposito went to talk to the uniform that had been posted outside the room. There was a takeout meal on the table that had hardly been touched, the sheets on the bed were undisturbed, and the window in the bathroom was too small to squeeze through, but the window just outside the bathroom was wide open.

Beckett took a look outside the window. "Second floor window. That would be an easy drop."

Ryan headed for the door. "I'll check it out."

Beckett called a CSU tech over. "Could you dust the window sill for me?" The tech nodded and soon she was able to see a set of prints. "That's what I thought. He probably dropped from here. Thanks." The tech nodded as Beckett stuck her head out the window again. "Ryan, you see anything?"

Ryan was looking at the ground below the window. "Yeah; cracked branches…and a cell phone." Ryan put the phone in an evidence bag. "Looks like the one Cronin had on him yesterday."

"Bring it up." Beckett ducked back into the room.

Esposito came over to her. "The uniform posted outside said he didn't hear a thing last night. The takeout arrived at 8:30 and Cronin didn't make a peep after that."

"What would make him leave through that window?"

"Something must have spooked him."

Beckett nodded. "Yeah. Maybe the phone will tell us something." Ryan stepped back into the room. "Let's see that." Beckett pulled the phone out of the bag. "Last call on the phone was incoming at 8:40 from an unknown number. Make sure I.T. runs it; I want to know who called. And let's get the surveillance tapes. We might catch Cronin on video and see when he left the room."

Esposito gestured to the food. "Can't have been too long after the phone call; he barely touched his food."

Beckett nodded. "Did anyone else see or hear anything?"

Esposito and Ryan headed for the door. "We'll start canvassing."

"Okay. I'm going to go back to the precinct and get started on the board."

"See you later."

* * *

Beckett was on her third cup of coffee when the boys finally returned to the precinct. "Those interviews must have been really good."

Ryan almost collapsed in his chair. "We went back to the area around the crime scene. There weren't very many people in that area last night. So far, we got nothing."

Esposito had gone to the break room before settling in to his desk. "Did my wife have anything to say about Cronin yet?"

"She's doing the autopsy now." Beckett pinched the bridge of her nose. "I.T. ran the phone number. It was from a burner phone. No name, paid with cash."

"You're thinking the Shadow Fox used it?"

"Had to get him out of that room somehow. It's harder to get away with murder when a cop is just outside the door." She looked at her watch. "Okay, it's been five hours since the call came in. The Shadow Fox has killed the last researcher on that team, which means he or she can go to ground now. We are running out of time to catch them before they disappear, and I'd rather not have to wait for the next body to drop. What do we have?"

* * *

Lanie called Beckett down to the morgue at a quarter to 10am. "The Shadow Fox had trouble with this one. There were more cuts on his arms and hands than I thought."

Beckett stopped by the table. "So he put up a major struggle before he was killed. Any chance he actually did manage to get some DNA?"

Lanie shook her head. "Didn't see it at the scene and my examination confirmed that. Not a thing. Although there is this." Lanie picked up Cronin's right hand to show a bruise. "Perimortem bruising on his knuckles suggests that he hit his attacker."

"That's probably how he managed to get away from her."

Lanie looked up from the chart. "Her?"

Beckett nodded. "We think the Shadow Fox is Pamela Kreutz. Or, at least the woman who is using that alias."

"Oh. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"She was at every scene." Beckett yawned. "Anything else I should know?"

Lanie picked up a different report. "I went back over Perlmutter's cases to see if there was anything he might not have considered relevant."

"And?"

"There was something I thought was weird, but now that you think the Shadow Fox is a woman, it makes sense." Lanie handed the folder to Beckett. "It was makeup. There was a little bit on Dr. Sulu's hands."

"Transfer from Kreutz. DNA?"

Lanie shook her head. "Not enough of a sample to run. Here's my report on Cronin." She paused to look at her friend. "Hey, get some sleep, alright? Coffee is clearly not cutting it."

Beckett grinned. "Thanks Doc."

Beckett took Lanie's advice right after updating the boards with the information Lanie had given her. After being awake for almost eight hours on less than three hours of sleep, it was wonderful to go up to the file room and lay down on the cot in there. Within moments, she was fast asleep. But it didn't last. For the second time that day, Beckett woke to the sound of her phone ringing.

"Beckett."

"_Hello Detective_."

"Agent Greene. How can I help you?"

"_Let's meet at the Alice in Wonderland statue in an hour_. _Bring Castle_." The phone disconnected.

* * *

Beckett and Castle arrived at the statue a little after 12:30. Normally, tourists and business types on their lunch hours would be milling around. The business types would be talking on their phones and chowing on hot dogs from a cart while the tourists snapped pictures. Today however, almost no one was standing near the statue. Beckett had the feeling that the emptiness had little to do with the changing weather.

Castle was actually a little giddy. "Wow, a covert meeting. This is almost like the CIA."

Beckett was reminded of their last interaction with the CIA. "I just hope they don't put bags over our heads."

That sobered Castle up. It had been a couple years since that encounter, but it was hard to forget when you find out that someone you thought you knew was actually a completely different person. The inspiration for Clara Striker was that kind of person. A great love once upon a time had become a powerful warning that things might not always be what they seemed. He looked at his fiancée. At least he didn't have to question who Kate was. She wore her passion for justice on her sleeves. It was a trait that sometimes made her a target, but Castle knew she wasn't going to hide her true nature. That was one of the things that made him love her.

An agent wearing sunglasses stopped them, so Beckett identified themselves. "Detective Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. Agent Greene told us to meet him here."

Agent Greene stood up from where he'd been sitting. "It's alright. They're with me." The agent let them pass. "Sorry about that. But for this to work, no one I don't trust completely can know what we are about to do."

Castle glanced around. "What makes you so sure you can trust us?"

Greene smiled. "I think your case records speak for themselves."

Beckett was confused. "Even though I've been put on leave a few times for insubordination?"

Greene gestured to the bench. "There's a difference between insubordination for being difficult, and being insubordinate because your heart is in the right place. I'm willing to overlook a few infractions when the reason for them was because you were right. But we're not here for that."

"When we spoke last, you said you might need our help. That's why we're here." Castle glanced at Beckett. "Right?"

Greene answered. "Yes, that is why you're here. We've got everything in place, but now we need your assistance. What we need to do is to force him to reveal his part in all of this."

Beckett was all business. "So why do you need our help?"

"Because he already knows you are investigating the deaths of the Vertanin doctors. It is less likely that he is aware of O.P.R.'s investigation into him."

Castle was sidetracked. "O.P.R.?"

"Office of Professional Responsibility. The FBI's version of Internal Affairs." Greene turned to Beckett and got back on track. "What we need to do is have you meet with him and let him know what you know, minus the O.P.R. investigation. Threaten him if you have to. Make it sound like you are going to turn him into O.P.R. unless he tells you what he knows."

Castle beat Beckett to the punch. "Then what?"

"Well, one of two things will happen. One, he'll tell you what he knows. Or two, he'll pretend he has no idea what you're talking about. If he doesn't tell you everything, just leave. We'll take it from there."

"I'm guessing you already have a warrant for a wiretap on his phone?"

Greene confirmed Beckett's suspicion with a nod of head. "And a team to follow him in case he is meeting with someone in person. Don't worry, we'll get him."

Castle looked from Beckett to Greene. "So what's my part?"

Greene smiled. "You are plan B. But we'll only talk about that if we need to. I doubt we will though. O'Connor is bound to be jumpy once Beckett rattles his cage again."

Beckett nodded and the three of them stood up. "When do I go in?"

* * *

Beckett was amused when she climbed into the surveillance van with Castle. "An FBI undercover van outside the FBI's New York field office. I'm guessing this doesn't happen everyday."

Greene smiled. "Not everyday. Let's get you wired up."

Castle took one of the unoccupied seats. "It's been a few years since we were in one of these. We were with Special Agent Shaw on that serial murderer case."

Beckett was unbuttoning her blouse. "You mean the one where my house blew up?"

Castle's eyes were focused on her chest. "I try not to think about that part."

Beckett noticed where Castle was looking. "Castle." His eyes didn't move. "Castle!"

He looked up. "Hmm?"

"Eyes off the girls. We need to be focused."

"Can I see them tonight?"

"Castle!"

"Yes ma'am."

The agents were looking uncomfortable, but Greene acted like nothing had happened. "You're ready to go."

Beckett buttoned up her blouse again and put her jacket back on. "Wish me luck."

Castle smiled as she passed. "Break a leg." Beckett looked back. "Blame my mother."

Beckett smiled. "I forget you were raised in the theater." She closed the door and walked into the building.

Greene picked up a pair of headphones. "Showtime."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review with your guesses about what's going to happen. I'd like to see if anyone has figured it out yet. Also, just to let you know, I will be on vacation this weekend, so the Saturday night/Sunday morning post will be a day latter than usual. Sorry!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note: I'm back from vacation, so here is the next chapter. Before we begin, I'd like to thank sxcthing123 for their review. Again, this chapter starts up where the last one left off. This is the sting operation that was set up in the last chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 43

Beckett waited in the 23rd floor lobby until O'Connor ushered her into his office. "Thank you for meeting with me again."

"Not a problem. I will admit I'm a little confused as to why you need to see me again. I thought Dr. Mahra was killed by that carjacker."

Beckett shook her head. "The carjacker had been picked up by Robbery before Dr. Mahra was murdered. He couldn't have killed her."

O'Connor sat back in his chair. "I take it you have a different theory."

"I would imagine you watch the news?"

O'Connor shrugged. "Occupational hazard."

"So I'm sure that my telling you all five members of Dr. Mahra's research team have been murdered wouldn't come as a surprise."

"While it is a tragedy, it is not my responsibility. Why are you telling me this?"

Beckett took a seat. "Dr. Cronin, the last member of that team, was about to talk when he was murdered. He was going to tell us what it was both Dr. Taylor and Dr. Mahra told you. I want to know what that was."

"I've told you, I only conduct the interviews. My supervisor is the one who determines whether or not a case is worth pursuing. I honestly don't remember what they told me. You need to talk to Agent Greene about this."

"Oh, I have. He has no idea what you're talking about."

O'Connor put on his poker face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he never got those files from you."

"If they aren't deemed credible, we don't keep the files."

Beckett shook her head. "Agent Greene keeps a file on every tip received in the last six months, just in case. He's never seen the ones from Taylor or Mahra."

"Perhaps he just misplaced them."

"That's what I thought too; until I met with him again this morning. He told me he went through every file he's received from you in the last six months. You know what he found?"

O'Connor looked indifferent. "What?"

"Nothing. You never sent him those files. Now, he's willing to believe it's just an honest mistake, but I'm not. As a detective, I've been trained not to believe in coincidence."

O'Connor looked amused now. "Oh, really? And why's that?"

"Because I've looked you up." Beckett smiled. "Just because you're FBI doesn't mean I can't find out some things about you. Like your military record."

"What does a military record from almost 25 years ago have to do with this case?"

Beckett played it cryptic. "Maybe nothing, maybe everything."

"What does that even mean?"

"Your commanding officer was First Sergeant Victor Blackwell, correct?"

O'Connor tried to shrug it off. "So?"

"So, Victor Blackwell is currently the CEO of Vertanin Pharmaceuticals. The same company Drs. Taylor and Mahra worked for."

"And you think we're still in touch. I was just a Corporal. First Sergeants rarely need to interact closely with the lower ranks."

Beckett ignored his attempt to downplay the connection between himself and Blackwell. "So what is it? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?"

O'Connor sat up. "Unless you've got something else to talk about, I want you to leave."

"You are in the perfect position to kill an investigation before it can get started."

O'Connor took the bait. "That's absurd! What would I gain from being a dirty Fed?"

"Vertanin makes a lot of money every year. It would be easy for Blackwell to redirect some of that money from, say research projects, to your bank account. Or if you were in trouble, like with an O.P.R. investigation into your career, a big time lawyer you couldn't possibly hope to afford might show up to defend you."

"Is that a threat?"

Beckett smiled. "No. I'm just throwing out a couple possible perks you could gain. But this is a threat. I will be going to O.P.R. with what I have unless you have a really good reason why I shouldn't."

O'Conner smirked. "Go ahead. They won't find anything. But if you want to avoid a charge for threatening a federal agent, you'll leave. Right now." Beckett stood and walked out.

* * *

Back in the van, Castle was disappointed. "Damn, nothing."

Greene smiled. "You're giving up too quickly. I never expected him to cave to her. It's what he does now that she's rattled his cage that's important. Remember, we have a wiretap set up on his phone and a team ready to shadow him if he leaves."

"Right."

Over the headsets, a phone was ringing. "Here we go." Greene started the recording equipment.

Blackwell's secretary answered the phone. "_Vertanin Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Blackwell's office. How may I help you?_"

O'Connor was on the other end. "_I'd like to speak to Mr. Blackwell please._"

"_Who should I tell him is calling?_"

"_Tell him it's his old friend Robert_."

"_One moment please_." The phone call was put on hold as Beckett climbed into the van.

"_Victor Blackwell_."

"_It's me_."

"_Robert! It's been a while. How are you?_"

"_We've got a problem._"

"_What are you talking about?_"

"_There's a cop that's been snooping around. She knows I'm involved._"

"_Involved in what?_"

"_You know what. The elimination of your research team._"

"_Why would she think you're involved? Did you say something?_"

"_She found out about Taylor coming to talk to me. She knows I didn't forward their interviews to Greene._"

"_Well, it sounds to me like you've got a problem. I don't see where I come in._"

"_You know how you're involved. We had a deal. I help you, you help me._"

"_That deal was honored. You gave me advice on that Sharma/Porter deal; I gave you the chance to take your girlfriend on vacation to my place in the Caribbean._"

O'Connor sounded angry. "_This cop is smart enough to know you're involved too. She'll prove it. Just…call your friend and take care of her._"

"_My friend? Who are you talking about? What are you saying?_"

"_You know who I'm talking about. That assassin; the Shadow Fox. Tell the Shadow Fox to get rid of Detective Beckett._"

Castle's head snapped up to look at Beckett, concern clearly written in his eyes. She didn't even flinch as she concentrated on the conversation unfolding.

Blackwell was now sounding upset. "_You're implying that I'm in league with an assassin? I would never do something like that. I was a First Sergeant in the U.S. Army by the time I retired. When I retired, I was discharged with not just honor, but distinction. You will never find me in bed with the likes of an assassin. Not only is it bad for business, it is against who I am as a man and a former soldier._" With that parting speech, Blackwell hung up the phone.

Greene stopped the recording equipment. "Well, we got O'Connor. Blackwell was too smart to incriminate himself over the phone."

Beckett set down her headset. "We can still try to get an indictment."

Greene backtracked. "Oh, we'll still try. It's just not much to go on. O'Connor though, he's done."

One of the agents leaned over to Greene. "Want us to make the arrest now?"

Greene stood. "I should be there for that. Thank you for your help, Detective. We'll put a detail on you in case Blackwell does make that call."

Beckett started to shake her head. "That's okay. I'll be fine."

Castle looked at her like she was crazy. "Kate, you can't be serious. The Shadow Fox has taken out an assassin that specialized in guns. You can't honestly believe that she won't go after you just because you're a cop."

Beckett sighed. "Fine, but only because I don't want you to hire an army to protect me."

Castle relaxed. "I'd do it too."

Beckett climbed out of the van. "I know."

Greene handed them a couple of passes. "Give these to the front desk on twenty-three and she'll direct you to where you need to go. I'd like you to watch the interrogation. Interagency cooperation, right?"

Beckett smiled. "Thank you. You've been much more cooperative than some other agents I've dealt with."

Greene smirked. "Like Agent Shaw?"

Beckett didn't answer, but Greene read her smile as a yes. On their way up to the 23rd floor, Beckett thought more about her interaction with government types. Shaw had been brusque at first, but in the end, she'd been much more understanding of how Beckett worked and why she was good at her job. If Beckett were honest with herself, working with Shaw again wouldn't be a bad thing because they would know what to expect from the other now. Agent Sorenson on the other hand…they could work together, but the history between them would always make things awkward.

Beckett and Castle presented their passes at the desk and were shown to an Observation Room. They only had to wait a few moments before O'Connor was escorted into the Interrogation Room by Agent Greene. O'Connor had lost the swagger Beckett had always seen him with; now he looked defeated, like a man who knew he was screwed.

O'Connor and Greene both took their seats. "Let's not make this difficult Robert. You know what this is about. Let's just get this over with."

O'Connor was looking at his handcuffed hands. "If I make a full confession right now, what can I get in return?"

Greene brushed some dust from the table. "We're already aware of your activities for Blackwell and Vertanin."

O'Connor looked up. "I said a full confession. What I've done for Blackwell and Vertanin are just some of the crimes I've committed. There're a lot more to talk about."

Greene sat up. "What do you want?"

O'Connor glanced at the window before answering. "I'd like to be in WITSEC. After what I'm going to tell you, I'm gonna need it."

Greene nodded. "I think we can arrange something. Let's start with Blackwell and Vertanin."

O'Connor nodded and began to talk.

* * *

Beckett and Castle had to leave the Observation Room after O'Connor finished talking about Vertanin and Blackwell. Greene had stepped out to see them off and promised to send them a copy of the Blackwell portion of the confession by the end of the next day. Beckett thanked him for his help, Greene thanked them for theirs, and they went their separate ways.

Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct to find the boys closing up for the night. "Find anything while we were out?"

Esposito looked up. "Oh hey, you're back. We finally got through to Avalon Security, the company that monitors the parking garage. The cameras on the 3rd level were out, but the ones on the 2nd level still worked."

Castle jumped in. "That was the company Kreutz said she was working for, wasn't it?"

Beckett ignored him. "So we have the footage?"

Ryan shook his head. "Not yet. The tape at the garage was stolen. Lucky for us, their system automatically backs up all the footage off site. They're making copies for us and will deliver them in the morning."

* * *

**A/N: I think this particular case has mostly been testing Beckett because of the Shadow Fox's overwhelming involvement in the case. Do you guys like that? Please leave me a review and let me know!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and pokung16 for their reviews. southerngirl1: O'Connor basically confessed that he did kill the investigation against Vertanin Pharmaceuticals and told Blackwell who had come to him with the info. Everything else he confesses to, that's for Fed ears only. Sorry :). pokung16: your review made me laugh, it was great! Thanks for reading! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 44

The next morning, Beckett was busy going over the files for the millionth time when Alex sat down in Castle's chair. "Hi."

Beckett looked up. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Alex gestured to Gates' office. "Your boss called me in. Something to do with a joint task force. I haven't been told all the details yet."

Beckett closed the file she was reading and leaned in. "How have you been doing? Are you sure you're okay to be out?"

Alex smiled. "I need to get out of that house. And Ewan came with me. He had a job interview nearby, so he volunteered to escort me here."

"What kind of a job?"

"More of the same." Alex paused for a moment. "The company he worked for had to downsize, which meant they laid-off a ton of employees. Despite his ability to fix older electronics, Ewan was one of them."

"That's too bad."

A courier stopped by her desk. "Detective Beckett?"

Beckett straightened. "Yes."

"I have a package for you from Avalon Security." He handed her a clipboard. "Just sign here please."

Beckett signed the line he indicated and was handed the package. "Thank you so much."

Alex was curious. "What's that?"

"Security footage." Beckett opened the package to see a pair of discs. "If we're lucky, by the end of the day we'll know what the Shadow Fox looks like. Soon you won't have to worry about him coming after you anymore."

Ryan hung up his phone and hurried over to Beckett's desk. "You better keep that disc under lock and key. Avalon Security just called. Their wireless backup was destroyed with a virus."

"Did they email a copy to I.T. like they were planning?" Ryan nodded. "Get over there and warn them about the virus. It may have followed the video here."

"On it."

Alex put her head in her hands. "So he's tech savvy too. Great."

Beckett put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "We're gonna get him. We're getting really close now."

Alex looked up and gave a wry smile. "I know. It's just hard to be the one who's hunted sometimes."

"I know the feeling."

Alex was about to ask what Beckett meant when Gates stepped out of her office and gestured for Alex to join her. Beckett put one of the discs in her desk drawer and gave the other to Esposito with instructions to make sure I.T. locked it up in their safe so they would have a hardcopy, just in case. She then stepped into Gates' office.

Gates looked up when Beckett entered, but she didn't kick her out. "Basically Alex, you'll be doing the same job you normally do, but for this case, you'll be reporting to the FBI."

Alex nodded. "What are you looking for?"

"The report that the FDA is supposed to receive two months from now on the drug Vertanin was researching. There was a report written by the doctors who were killed, and the data from that report won't match the manufactured report. We need to have both the report provided by Dr. Cronin and the one Blackwell intends to send out to have hard evidence that proves Blackwell and Vertanin are faking research and putting lives in danger."

"Not my usual line of work, but I'll try."

Beckett was surprised. "Alex, what are you doing? The Shadow Fox wants you dead and he's neck deep in this case. The minute he knows you've gotten involved with this, the target on your back will be even bigger. You may not be so lucky this time."

"Kate, I can do this. I'm tired of hiding. I need to get my life back and if this case is the first step, I'm going to take it."

Beckett was still concerned. "Are you sure?"

Alex gave a weak smile. "100%? No. But I'm ready."

Gates was pleased. "Good. We've managed to get an interview set up for you this afternoon. I'd like you to come back here a couple hours before that for a final rundown."

Alex nodded and left, leaving Beckett and Gates alone in the office. "I can't believe you're doing this. Sending her in like that?"

"Hardy and Drew didn't have another available operative in New York." Gates took a seat behind her desk. "I only brought her in to ask if she would be comfortable with this. She's the one who said yes. If she had said no, I wouldn't have forced her into it. This was her decision."

"I don't think she's thinking clearly. She thinks this is being brave, but she's rushing into it without really thinking about the danger."

Gates smirked. "Sounds like a certain detective I know."

Beckett was without a comeback as Ryan rushed into the office. "The virus hit I.T. before I could get there! It's spreading to the entire network!"

Gates glanced at her computer in time to see the screen change from her favorite wallpaper to a massive line of code. She yanked the network and power cords out of the back of her machine, but she knew it was already too late. Beckett looked out at the bullpen, which was a flurry of activity as detectives and cops rushed to pull cords out of machines before any more damage could be done. Beckett rushed to her desk. _Good, the disc is still here_. She checked her computer's cords and saw that someone had already pulled them.

Gates was furious. "What the hell was that?"

Ryan shook his head. "We don't know. I.T. has no clue how the virus got through all the firewalls. It looks like our computers are going to be down for a while."

"Find this son-of-a-bitch before he can do this again. And make sure I.T. is working on getting us back up and running soon."

Ryan turned to Beckett. "Esposito dropped off the disc with I.T. They put it in the safe just before the computers started crashing."

Beckett ran a hand through her hair. "Good."

Ryan looked at her expectantly. "Without the computers, what do you want us to do?"

"We're going old school." Beckett grabbed the files off her desk. "Grab Esposito and come into the Conference Room. I want to go over the Cronin scene again."

* * *

Beckett brought in a new white board and posted all the crime scene photos on it. Something was bothering her. Why had the Shadow Fox brought Cronin to that parking garage? Was it the seclusion? A familiar location? A message? There were many other parking garages and other secluded areas in New York between the safe house and that garage. So why pick that spot?

Beckett looked from one picture to the next. The panoramic shots, the scene of the initial attack, the final resting place, the path in between; nothing was standing out. _Wait, that's not true_. On one of the shots was a set of car keys for a BMW. Beckett scanned the cars in the lot. On the third floor was a BMW M3, right in the middle of the largest cluster of cars.

Beckett turned to Esposito. "There was a set of car keys at the scene. Did CSU collect them?"

Esposito flipped through the evidence log. "Uh, yeah. Dusted them for prints but they came back to Cronin. Why?"

Beckett ignored him. "Ryan, what kind of car did Cronin drive?"

Ryan shrugged, but didn't take his eyes off the file he was reading. "I don't know; the computers are down."

Beckett moved on. "Okay. Um, we have his driver's license. Where did he live?"

Ryan looked through a different file. "105 W 29th. The Beatrice Apartments. Why?"

"That's only a couple of blocks from the garage. I think I know why Cronin went to that parking garage. He wasn't meeting anyone; he was going to get his car. He was running."

Ryan put down the files. "And the Shadow Fox followed him?"

"Or was waiting for him."

Castle walked into the room. "Man, what a day. That meeting took forever. What happened here?"

Beckett acted nonchalant. "Nothing much. The Shadow Fox just crashed all the computers."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we have no access to anything on the computer. No files, no email, no database searches. And we can't watch the security footage from the parking garage until I.T. gets them back up."

Castle took a seat. "So what are you guys working on?"

Esposito turned around. "Beckett figured out why the Shadow Fox attacked Cronin in that parking garage. It was close to his home. He went there to get his car so he could take off."

"He was trying to run, not meeting someone. I guess that makes sense. Someone, presumably the Shadow Fox, calls him and he freaks out. He decides to run, but the Shadow Fox either knows where he'll go or follows him there."

Esposito glanced at Ryan with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, that's what we thought."

Alex knocked on the door to the conference room. "Hi guys."

Beckett looked up and was stunned. A couple hours ago, Alex had looked stressed and disheveled. Now, she looked like she had gone back in time to a year ago when they had first met her. Her long brown hair was done up in a simple knot at the nape of her neck and she was wearing a tailored black skirt suit with a white Oxford blouse. A Louise Vitton purse was hanging from her shoulder and a Burberry trench coat was draped over her arm. Her makeup covered up the bags under her eyes and gave a flush of color to her cheeks. In short, she now looked beautiful. Ewan was standing behind her shoulder, dressed in a simple suit.

Beckett recovered before the boys did. "Alex, you look amazing. It's almost like the last few months never happened."

Alex smiled. "Thanks. So, who's taking me to the lion's den?"

Esposito raised his hand. "I'm your driver today. What's your cover?"

Alex pulled out her new credentials. "I'm Katherine Willows, C.P.A. Looks like I'm applying to the accounting department, no surprises there."

Beckett was liking the sound of confidence Alex was emanating now. "You'll get it."

Alex nodded. "Just be prepared. No assignment I've successfully completed has lasted less than a month. It's going to take me some time to get what you need."

Gates walked in. "You're not getting this information for us. You're getting it for the FBI. They're just allowing us to liaise with you because you know us. Officially, Special Agent Greene is in charge now."

Beckett smiled. "Greene is a good man. You can trust him."

Alex nodded. "Okay, I'm ready."

Gates moved to let an FBI tech into the room. "They're going to get you wired up…"

"No." Everyone looked at Alex. "I can't lie effectively if I know a ton of people are listening in. Besides, this is just a job interview. Whatever he says probably won't have anything to do with his illegal activities, and anything I say might get misused in court."

Esposito stood. "She's got a point. I'll get my coat."

Gates finally nodded. "Okay. Just relax, you'll do fine."

Alex nodded and turned to give Ewan a kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ewan looked truly concerned.

Alex nodded. "I don't want to have an entourage with me. It'll only blow my cover."

Ewan nodded, gave her another kiss and turned to leave. Esposito returned with his coat and Alex followed him out of the bullpen. They parked on the street about a block away from Vertanin Pharmaceuticals and Alex entered the building slightly ahead of Esposito. She went up to the front desk while Esposito took a seat in the lobby. After signing in, Alex also took a seat and waited for her interview's time slot.

* * *

Back at the precinct, I.T. had finally managed to find a computer that hadn't been affected by the virus. Beckett went to her desk to retrieve the disc, but it wasn't in the drawer she thought she'd put it in. She searched through the rest of her desk's drawers, but was unable to find it. Beckett thought back to the afternoon. She remembered the flurry of activity when the computers crashed, but the disc had still been in that drawer after that.

_Wait, I wasn't at my desk most of the afternoon. _Even with the computers down, people had been coming and going all day. In fact, because the computers were down, more people had been moving through the building. Any one of those people could have taken the disc, and because Beckett had been busy reviewing Cronin's crime scene again, she'd been paying no attention to her desk.

That meant the hard copy in the I.T. vault was the only copy left. "Ryan, you said I.T. put the disc I gave to Esposito into their safe, right?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"The copy I had in my desk is gone. We're going to need that disc."

* * *

**A/N: Feel free to drop a review; I promise that I read them all. You're feedback really helps me to know what's working and what isn't.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's note: I'd like to thanks MissDeckaDecka and pokung16 for their reviews. pokung16: sounding like Castle is not a bad thing. I think I'm also starting to find Castle's "voice" again.**

**Due to the holiday, I'd decided to postpone posting this chapter. It was up temporarily, but I noticed an error with it and took it back down. Now that the holiday is over and I've fixed the error, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 45

It was almost an hour after Beckett had asked, but finally Ryan called across the bullpen. "I.T. is bringing up their hardcopy of the video. It should be here in a couple minutes."

Beckett nodded. "Good. Let me know what you find."

Castle returned from the break room with their coffees and joined Beckett as she resumed her study of the boards and files, searching for some other lead they could follow. Beckett almost went into a trance as she let her mind go blank and allowed the evidence to speak to her. But this time, the evidence wasn't cooperating. Beckett was broken out of her trance when her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Esposito. "_Beckett, Alex got the job and left. Do you want me to follow her?_"

Beckett sighed. _One step closer to some info._ "As much as I want you to protect her, no. I need you to get back here. Ryan is watching the surveillance video. I'd like to be able to roll out when we see who the Shadow Fox really is."

She heard when Esposito exited the building. "_I'm on my way._"

Beckett hung up and took a sip of her coffee. Ryan held up the disc to show Beckett that the tech guys had come through. She watched as he slipped the disc into the drive and started the video. She then turned back to the board as she took another sip.

Castle's phone buzzed, indicating that he'd received a text from Alexis. "Hey, she wants to know if Alex can call her again. What should I tell her?"

Beckett shrugged. "We'll have to wait until Alex gets back. She got the job by the way. We should have some more information in the next few weeks."

Castle nodded as he started texting Alexis back. "Good. I'll tell Alexis that I'll find out and let her know."

Beckett shook her head. "I can't believe she's actually going through with this. She's going to get herself killed."

Castle took her hand in his to calm her down. "No, she won't. You wouldn't allow it."

Beckett wasn't consoled. "I don't really have control over that. We've tried to protect others, including Alex, from the Shadow Fox before. The Fox has always managed to slip in and get to them."

"But we've gotten better at protecting Alex every time. Third times the charm, right?" Beckett had to give a weak smile at that.

Ryan suddenly stood up. "No. Way."

Beckett stood up and hurried to his desk. "What?"

Ryan rewound the tape and pushed play. On the screen, their victim ran into view from the top of the screen and ducked down behind a car. He was facing the direction he came from and looked terrified. His sleeves were torn and it looked like he was bleeding heavily. Beckett watched as a figure crossed the top of the screen, face out of view and went behind the same row of cars that the victim was crouched behind. She knew what would happen next, but she couldn't take her eyes off the screen as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The killer slowly crept up behind their victim. He was just starting to turn his head when the killer stabbed him in the kidney and then proceeded to stab him after he was down. All this time, the killer's face was never clear, but Beckett could tell from the build that their hunch was right; it was a woman. Once the killer was sure that the victim was not going to live, she stood up. Then she turned her head to check that the coast was clear.

It was Alex.

Beckett was in shock. "No."

She hurried to speed dial Esposito as she raced from Ryan's desk to her own, grabbing her keys and gun. Behind her, she could hear Ryan doing the same.

Esposito answered after a couple rings. "_Esposito._"

Beckett's voice was frantic. "Esposito, its Alex! The Shadow Fox is Alex!"

Beckett raced down the stairs to her car, Castle and Ryan close behind her. Beckett stayed on the line and could hear Esposito shouting "_Police! Move! Get out of the way!_" Beckett just hoped that he could keep Alex in sight long enough for them to get there. When they reached the car, Beckett threw the keys to Ryan, who got into the driver's seat while Castle climbed in back. Ryan turned on the car and lit up the siren as they tore out of the parking lot. Thankfully, they weren't very far from Vertanin's office building.

Ryan was pissed. "I named my daughter after her. My little girl's middle name is Alexandra because of Alex."

Castle spoke from the back seat. "You couldn't have known."

Ryan wasn't listening. "I named my daughter after an assassin!"

"Quiet, I'm trying to hear what Javi's saying." Beckett was having a hard time hearing Esposito because of the boys, so she put the phone on speaker.

Esposito was running and gasping out Alex's position as he went. "_She went…into…a store. I think…she changed…her jacket…and pants…Wait._" There was a pause."_She's headed north…on William __St.…wearing a brown…coat and…black hat…In pursuit…Hurry._"

Ryan followed the instructions as Beckett responded. "We're almost there. Just keep eyes on her."

Ryan turned onto the street and Beckett saw the chaos the chase had instigated. Her eyes followed the chaos up and spotted Esposito running up the street. Beckett looked a little further up the street and spotted Alex duck under a caution sign and into a building that was undergoing massive renovation. She ended the call and pointed to where she had seen Alex disappear. Ryan stopped the car next to the entrance and Esposito stopped next to them, out of breath. They could hear Alex's footsteps echo through the building, but took the time to strap on their bullet proof vests. They didn't want to risk getting stabbed trying to apprehend her.

Once the vests were in place, they entered the building. Quickly, but carefully, they swept the first and second floors; both were clear. Ryan went up the next flight of stairs first. Suddenly, Alex was running at him. Before he could do much more than look at her, she had pushed him back down the stairs. He cried out in surprise. Beckett awkwardly jumped over him and stumbled to reach the top of the stairs with Castle at her heels. Beckett spotted Alex, who rolled over a stack of drywall in the middle of a half finished hallway. Beckett aimed at Alex's shoulder and fired, but Alex planted a hand against the wall in front of her and turned sharply left, avoiding the shots and disappearing from view. Beckett cursed and took off down the hallway in pursuit, Castle right behind her.

Beckett heard Alex running up another flight of stairs and hurried through the labyrinthine hallways toward it. Castle managed to make it to the stairs first, but they crested the stairs together. Beckett paused to do a sweep of the deserted floor. It was almost empty, except for the stacks of building supplies and equipment. There were holes in the ceiling that showed that the floor above was emptier than this one. Castle saw Alex first and raced after her.

Beckett took off in pursuit of both of them. "Castle, no!"

Castle ignored Beckett and ran faster. Ahead, Alex suddenly turned around, using a pillar to help her change her momentum. Castle slowed a little, noticing that firstly, Alex was now facing him, and secondly, she was probably armed. His next thought was "ouch" as he felt her foot connected with his jaw, snapping his head up. He didn't even have time to think about how her foot could possibly reach his jaw, when he felt her other foot punch him in his stomach, pushing him backwards so that he landed on his back hard. Beckett saw Castle go down, and rapidly emptied the rest of her magazine in Alex's direction. Alex had anticipated that reaction and ducked behind a pile of drywall before sprinting for the next set of stairs.

Beckett reloaded as she ran to Castle's side. "Are you okay?"

"That hurt." Castle coughed. "I'm fine. Go get her."

Beckett stood. "For your own good, Castle, stay here."

Castle nodded as the boys caught up. Ryan was limping slightly after his fall down the stairs, and Esposito had finally managed to catch his breath. Together, they ran up the stairs and fanned out to take a look at this floor. They spotted Alex in quick succession and hurried after her. She took a daring leap across one of the holes in what had been the ceiling of the previous floor, and was now the floor of this one. Alex stumbled as she landed on the other side and took another peek behind her. Beckett and the boys went around the hole, which gave Alex a little distance, but she looked like she was running out of energy and didn't gain much.

Beckett recognized when Alex went to jump across the next hole in the floor and stopped to take careful aim. She fired when Alex was almost across. The bullet went through Alex's left shoulder and she crumpled on the landing. The scream of agony almost stopped Beckett in her tracks, but she was a cop, and this was her collar. Alex rolled back toward the detectives as they slowly advanced toward her and for a moment, Beckett thought she might roll right over the edge and fall to the floor below, but Alex stopped right at the lip. She was holding her left arm and shoulder to her body, and they heard another moan of agony. Beckett closed the distance, Ryan and Esposito at her sides, guns drawn and pointed at the Shadow Fox, who was cornered at last.

Beckett stopped a few feet from her side of the hole. "It's over, Alex."

Alex shook her head. "No, it's not over yet."

Alex rolled over the edge of the hole, dropping down to the floor below. Beckett hurried to the edge of the hole to see where she had gone, and barely caught a glimpse of Alex stumbling away.

Beckett turned around. "Go down the stairs! We can't let her get away!"

Ryan and Esposito were already running back to the stairs. The team raced down the steps and got down to the fourth floor in time to see Alex's head disappear down the stairs on the other side of the floor. Beckett ran to Castle and saw that he had curled up in a ball. _I hope Alex didn't hit him again. _Beckett followed Ryan and Esposito as they charged down the stairs. They could hear Alex's ragged breathing ahead of them and sped up. Beckett stopped on the second floor and worked her way toward an opening that faced out toward the back of the building. She was hoping that she could provide a set of eyes that were higher up.

Ryan and Esposito continued on to the ground floor and slowed when they couldn't hear Alex's footsteps anymore. They were on the backside of the building and looked around, hoping to see where Alex had gone. All they saw were more construction materials and lots of equipment, perfect for hiding in or behind.

Ryan noticed Beckett's absence. "Where'd Beckett go?"

Esposito shrugged and started looking at the ground, clutching the stitch in his side. Ryan limped after him and copied the search, looking for a blood trail. They would point out little drops of blood as they went, which was leading them toward one of the big wheel loaders. The blood trail pettered out, so they started looking closely at the ground, trying to distinguish Alex's footsteps from the mess of all the construction footprints.

It was Beckett's shout that caught their attention. "There she is! Freeze!"

Alex had suddenly broken cover from behind the other wheel loader and sprinted toward the street. There was a burgundy van slowly approaching that had the side door open, no seats behind the front, and a mattress and pillows lining the bottom. Ryan and Esposito brought their guns up, yelling "Freeze!", but Alex ignored them and dove into the van, landing on top of the mattress and sliding into the pillows. The door of the van closed and their bullets embedded themselves into the side of the van. The driver was wearing a baseball hat low over his face and had a goatee. The detectives ran toward the street to get a good look at the van. It was a burgundy Honda Odyssey, brand new, and still had the dealer plates on it. It sped up, disappearing when it turned left onto Fulton St. The boys lowered their weapons. The Shadow Fox was gone.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it. Alex was the Shadow Fox all along. Some of you had it right initially, but the moments that tricked Beckett's team tricked you too. (Evil laughter) Leave a note if you liked it. I'll post the next chapter soon.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's note: I'd like to thank KB4RC and Mistyx7 for their reviews. ****This is the "big reveal" from Alex's perspective. It starts with the interview that Esposito didn't get to listen into, and ends with Alex disappearing. If you felt you got enough of this bit from the previous chapter, just skip to the sequel (The Shadow Fox Returns). I will say that there is some interesting information in the interview portion that you might find intriguing. Or not, up to you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 46

Alex stepped into the office for her interview, preparing to fib her way into the job so she could gain the financial and medical information Kate and company needed. She was not expecting what came next.

The CEO's back was turned to her as she entered. "Alexandra Stevens, I presume."

Alex quickly corrected him. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm Katherine Willows. If this is her appointment time, I'll come back later."

Blackwell turned around. "I know you are working with the police. Are you wearing a wire?"

Alex realized that Mr. Blackwell's willingness to meet with her was for a different reason. "No, I am not."

Blackwell gestured toward the waiting room. "And the detective outside in the lobby doesn't have some fancy listening device?"

Alex shook her head. "I take it that you're not offering me a position in your company. What is this about?"

Blackwell approached his desk. "I knew Richard Coonan, or Rathborne, as he preferred to be called. I'd used him several times. I also know that you are his protégé, the Shadow Fox, more commonly known as Alex. Am I correct?"

Alex sat in down in the offered chair. "I work with the Fox. I'm what you would call the go-between."

Blackwell started laughing. "I know you are his protégé because he told me himself. Although I admire how hard you are trying to conceal your identity. It's a good trait to have in our world. You see, I was Dick Coonan's commanding officer in the Gulf Wars. He was in my Special Forces unit, and I trained him to be Rathborne. That was the name I used before I trained him. He was my protégé, and he took the name when I retired. You were supposed to take that name when he retired. Why didn't you?"

Alex spoke without thinking. "Because he killed my father."

"Ah." Blackwell nodded. "So you were the one who attacked him in Chicago. How's the arm?"

Alex glared at him but composed herself. "Better now. What do you want?"

Blackwell smiled. "I'm hoping we can resume the relationship I had with Rathborne. You see, I'm out of practice in the killing department, and I have a particular problem. I am a little concerned with a habit I have noticed in your own practice, though. It has come to my knowledge that several of your past clients have been arrested or killed. I'm curious as to why that is."

Alex smiled. "I only do what my clients tell me to. If they are leaving a trail for the cops to follow, that is not my fault. It is not my job to cover up their mess for them unless that is part of the agreement. Normally, they only tell me to kill someone. They might tell me to make it look like a mugging or a random event, like you did when you hired me to kill your research team. But even when they tell me to cover it up, they leave an easily traceable paper trail. At that point, it's their problem. I protect myself."

Blackwell poured himself a little scotch from a decanter. "I see I will have to be very careful about the assignments I give you. So, Alex, are you ready for your first assignment?"

He offered her some scotch, to which Alex shook her head. "I don't drink. It makes my job harder to do. As for your latest problem, I might be interested. Who's the mark?"

Blackwell downed his drink and sighed. "Ah, some of the very best in the world. I think you will find your assignment most interesting. And challenging."

He placed a picture on his desk and gestured that Alex should join him. She rose from her chair and moved around the desk to look at the picture. It was a face she recognized.

Blackwell turned back to the decanter. "That is your target. I want you to make it look like it was a hit, but leave the prints of another hitman behind, preferably one that uses a variety of weapons and techniques. I know you have planted prints before." Alex nodded and Blackwell continued. "I have a man in mind. He is known as The Chameleon and he is what I would call a rival of sorts. I even have his prints right here, though I won't tell you how I got them." He handed Alex a card that had two transferable prints on it. "I'll wire the $100,000 to your account tonight…"

"Seven-fifty."

Blackwell stared at her. "Excuse me?"

Alex gestured at the picture. "$750,000. My price for cops and District Attorneys is $500,000; due to the added risks and other possible complications, of course. The extra $250,000 is for the cover-up. You are, after all, asking me to plant the prints of another assassin at the scene. In our profession, that is known as treason. If I'm going to commit treason, it needs to be worth my while."

Blackwell was furious. "You do realize that I could call that cop in here right now and expose you for who you are."

Suddenly, Alex was behind him, pressing Blackwell's letter opener to his throat. "And you realize that if you made the slightest move to do so, I could slit your throat where you stand. I am no friend of yours. You trained the man that murdered my father." She pressed the letter opener to his throat a little harder. "And besides, even if you did expose me for who I am, you'd have to explain how you knew all that information. And I would be able to expose you for who you really are."

Alex removed the letter opener from Blackwell's throat and he quickly put a hand up to check for blood. When he turned back to Alex, the letter opener was gone and she was ten feet away, looking at him as though nothing had happened.

Alex took a couple steps forward and extended her hand. "$750,000 by midnight. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Oh, and the detective outside is expecting me to start working here, so I'll be back Monday. That should give you plenty of time to find a position for me in the accounting department."

Blackwell reluctantly shook her hand and watched her as she walked to the door, set the letter opener on a table by the door, and plastered a big smile on her face. She opened the door and walked into the lobby. When Alex passed Esposito, she shot him a covert thumb up to indicate that she had the position. She then walked past him and out the door as if she didn't know anyone else in the building.

As soon as she left the office building, Alex made sure to put the receiver to the bug she had planted in Kate's cell phone in her ear. From what she had seen earlier in the day, Kate's team was getting close to figuring out she was the Shadow Fox. Her tech man, Sloan, had successfully managed to upload a virus to the precinct's computers, deleting the surveillance video she had been caught on and, for an added bonus, crashed their entire system. However, Kate was smart, so Alex was sure that Kate would have put the extra hardcopy somewhere that Alex had been unable to find and steal. The disc in the desk drawer had been a piece of cake to lift and stick in her boyfriend's pocket for him to carry out of the building. The other disc, unfortunately, was probably locked up in a safe.

Esposito was calling Kate to let her know that Alex had gotten the job. "_Beckett, Alex got the job and left. Do you want me to follow her?_"

Kate hesitated in her answer. "_As much as I want you to protect her, no. I need you to get back here. Ryan is watching the surveillance video. I'd like to be able to roll out when we see who the Shadow Fox really is._"

"_I'm on my way._"

Esposito hung up and Alex's worst fears were confirmed. Kate did have the other copy. She began to walk faster. She had to be out of Esposito's sight before Kate saw who the killer was. A few moments later, Esposito's phone rang again. Alex chanced a glance behind her. Esposito had stopped by his car and was pulling out his phone. Hopefully he couldn't see her.

"_Esposito._"

Kate's voice sounded frantic. "_Esposito, its Alex! The Shadow Fox is Alex!_"

Alex watched as Esposito looked up to scan the crowd and then their eyes locked. Alex took off running. Esposito was shouting "Police! Move! Get out of the way!" It wouldn't take him too long to find her, especially when she was wearing this skirt and heels. She would have to change her clothes. She ran into a women's clothing store, dropping her purse outside and pulling her hair out of the knot. She shed her trench coat, throwing it under one of the displays while grabbing a pair of jeans. She grabbed a jacket off another one of the racks and ducked into the back room, kicking off her heels as she pulled the jacket on. She stepped out of her skirt, shook out the jeans and pulled them on before exiting the store from the service entrance in the back. She was barefoot, but at least she could run properly now. Fifty feet away from the back door was a street vendor who was selling hats and scarves. She ran past it, swiping a hat and putting it on as she went before anyone got a good look. Her bare feet hurt a little every time they struck the cold pavement as she ran north, trying to lose Esposito in the thin crowd. Alex could hear Kate's car through the bug as it raced to cut off her escape. Ryan sounded angry, but Alex couldn't make out what he was saying.

Kate cut him off. "_Quiet, I'm trying to hear what Javi's saying_."

Esposito was still on the phone, gasping out information. "_She went…into…a store. I think…she changed…her jacket…and pants…Wait. She's headed north…on William __St.…wearing a brown…coat and…black hat…In pursuit…Hurry._"

"_We're almost there. Just keep eyes on her._"

Alex knew she needed to lose them fast. She ducked into a building that was under construction and hurried up the stairs. "Sloan…I'm…going to need…plan B…Are you…ready?"

Sloan's Scottish accent was clear in her earpiece. "_Where are you?_"

Alex gasped out her location as she hurried up to the next floor. "I'm in…the building…under…construction. William…and Fulton. Hurry!"

Alex heard the car start up. "_I'll get to a position that's close. Call me when you're ready._"

Alex scrambled up another flight of stairs. She could hear the police entering the building so she hid near the top of the stairs and waited while she caught her breath. She could hear them getting closer, but it sounded like it was only Kate's team, at least for now. Ryan was first onto that floor. Alex rushed him, pushing him back down the stairs and losing her hat in the process. She heard cries of surprise as she took off through the construction debris and down a hallway. She chanced a glance behind her and saw that Kate and Castle were the next to crest the stairs. Alex rolled over a stack of drywall in the middle of a hallway, landed, and pushed off a wall to veer sharply to her left as shots rang out. Kate cursed and Alex could hear both Castle and Kate as they came down the hallway in pursuit.

Alex shot up another flight of stairs and emerged in an open area with a few construction supplies and equipment. There was a flight of stairs in progress across the open floor and holes in the ceiling that opened to the floor above. Alex ran for the stairs. She could feel that someone was closing in, and that suspicion was confirmed when she heard Kate's yell.

"Castle, no!"

Alex saw an opportunity to create some distance; a pillar was up ahead. When Alex reached it, she planted a hand on it and pushed, changing the direction of her momentum so that she was now facing Castle. He slowed a little as he registered that she was now facing him. She swung her right leg straight up in a classic cheerleader's high kick and her foot connected with his jaw, snapping his head up. When her foot came down, she spun around and planted her left foot firmly in his stomach. Castle landed heavily on his back, and Alex quickly dove behind a stack of drywall to avoid the hail of bullets Kate sent her way.

When the shots stopped, Alex sprinted for the stairs again and Kate followed after pausing long enough to make sure Castle was okay. Ryan had caught up after his fall down the stairs, and Esposito was joining them after he had caught his breath. Alex was in agony after all the running she had been doing, but she couldn't stop now. _If I make it out of this alive, I need to get back in shape._ She heard when Kate and the boys crested the stairs and took a daring leap across one of the holes in what was now the floor. She stumbled on the landing and took another peek behind her. The detectives were going around the hole, which gave her a little time, but not much. She decided the jump the next hole too.

Alex was almost across when she heard a shot go off and a searing pain ripped through her left shoulder. She crumpled on the landing and hit her shoulder hard. The scream of agony that escaped her lips couldn't be stopped as she rolled back the other way and found herself at the mouth of the hole she had just crossed. An idea entered her mind, but it was risky and would probably just cause her more pain. Part of her brain registered the feeling of a bullet rolling around inside her shirt. She held her left arm and shoulder to her body, pinning the bullet between her left elbow and her stomach, as another moan of agony escaped. Beckett and the boys were closing the distance, guns drawn and pointed at her.

Beckett stopped several feet from the hole. "It's over, Alex."

Alex shook her head. "No, it's not over yet."

Alex threw her idea into effect and rolled over the edge of the hole, dropping down to the floor below. She hurried to cover as the detectives rushed to the edge of the hole to see where she had gone. The bullet escaped from under her shirt; Alex picked it up and put it in her pants pocket as she heard Beckett give the order to get down to the floor below. The pain was starting to peak again, and Alex knew she only had a couple of moments to get that pain out of her mind. She employed a meditation technique Rathborne had taught her and the pain in her shoulder lessened enough for her to break cover and run. She passed Castle where he was on the ground and saw him curl up in a ball when he saw her. _Good, that might buy me some time._ She knew she needed get down at least a floor before the detectives arrived. She hurried down to the floor below and raced to get down to the ground floor. She could hear the detectives closing in and she shrugged her right arm out of the jacket as she ran, using it to try and help stem the flow of blood from her shoulder.

Once she got outside, she took cover behind a construction vehicle and called Sloan. "I'm out back. Get over here. I've been shot."

She heard Sloan's voice get worried. "_I'll be there in two minutes. Van door is open. I'll get you out, I promise. Be careful._"

Alex ended the call and froze when she saw Ryan and Esposito come outside. They were looking around, but didn't see her. She could see that Ryan was limping, and Esposito looked like he had a stitch in his side. They started looking at the ground, trying to find a blood trail. As they got closer, Alex was starting to panic. Just then, she saw Sloan in the van. He was wearing a goatee and baseball hat in case there were cameras in the area. She cast one last look toward the detectives; they had just turned their backs. _This is it_.

Alex broke cover and sprinted for the van. It was approaching at approximately 30 miles per hour, so she knew she only had one shot. If she missed, she would be road-kill or a jailbird. Beckett spotted her and shouted, "There she is! Freeze!" The detectives turned around and spotted Alex too. They brought their guns up and also told her to freeze, but she ignored them as she dove into the van, landing on her right side on top of the mattress and sliding into the pillows Sloan had placed in there to soften her fall if they needed to use this escape route. The landing jarred her injured side. The last thing she registered before she passed out was the door closing and bullets hitting the van as Sloan stepped on the gas and took off.

* * *

**A/N: This was actually the scene that started the whole story. I knew I wanted to write a story that dealt with a Rathborne copycat and then this scene popped into my head. That was when I knew I had to start writing the story. So there it is. The story is not over yet, but I'm writing the rest as a sequel starting where this one left off. It is known as The Shadow Fox Returns and has an M rating for violence and some Caskett moments. Thoughts? I'd appreciate the feedback. Thanks for sticking with the story!**


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